


Grabbing Life By The Horns

by Lyco



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Austin - Freeform, Catching a bull or trying too, F/M, Maya's art skills, Pappy Joe, Philly Christmas, Stuart Minkus - Freeform, Texas, Thanksgiving, Wendy being Lucas' mother, crazy times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 04:37:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 77,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5854519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyco/pseuds/Lyco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ups and downs of life as Riley and friends begin to grab life by the horns. And it all begins during the trip to Texas!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. I started thinking about this idea recently and I wanted to run with it since even I couldn't help but find it amusing. Basically, this is set during Girl Meets Texas BUT also happens during the week of Thanksgiving too since it would allow for the kids and their families when they show up to be there for an entire week from the Friday they left to come there for the Bull riding event and the later events followed by the rest of the week ending with them heading home on Sunday with some fun going on at times. Anywho, hope you all enjoy! Though I'm unsure how long this will be.**

**To further add, this was originally by itself but since the addition of A Very Philly Occasion over on FF.net I've decided to merge both stories into one and make it one continuous story rather then two fics and a third one following those two.**

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**Sunday Morning at 8:30 AM a few miles from the Friar Ranch**

Despite the events of the previous night that almost saw one Lucas Friar kissing Maya Hart, the Texan teen still decided to take Farkle out into the lands of Texas to get him even more familiar with the area since he quickly found himself really coming to love all that Texas had to offer. Zay couldn't pass up the opportunity either so he came along with the two. Though for Lucas, this also was intended to help him keep his mind off of last night and all its confusion. Confusion that began thanks to Riley Matthews of all people. Yeah, he liked Maya he wouldn't deny that and had been captivated by her when she approached him and then broke up with him in a matter of seconds on the train but then Riley happened and he hadn't really thought about Maya as more than a friend after that thanks to how she acted towards him. Not to mention how she especially acted towards Riley's uncle. He also couldn't deny the fact that Maya at times still drew him in despite what he felt towards Riley.

The Texan wasn't sure what to do about any of this and going to Mr. Matthews about it probably was a bad idea considering Riley was involved in the whole thing and Maya being pretty much like a second daughter to him. He could only hope things would work out for the best in the end. He was soon brought out of his thoughts however when Farkle shook him a little. "Huh!? What!?"

His two friends looked at one another before looking back at him. "Thinkin' deep thoughts?" Asked Zay with a smirk on his face.

"Deep thoughts about two girls we all know and love?" Added Farkle with a smirk of his own.

"What!? No! Just… You know, thinking about other stuff is all."

His two friends weren't exactly inclined to believe him considering how weak he sounded just there but he was definitely not ready to talk about the current situation with them when he himself barely knew what to do or say about it. "Uh-huh, right." Replied Zay while Farkle laughed.

"Look, can we just… Can we focus on why we're here instead?"

"Yeah, why are we here anyway?" Zay wondered, allowing Lucas to slide for the time being. And if the fellow Texan was right, this was the area that Cain the Bull was known to be at. But there was no way his best friend was possibly planning what he thought he was. Right?

"I'm a little curious about that myself actually."

Lucas knew that Zay would likely freak out considering the stories involved but he thought that maybe with the three of them that they could do what others couldn't. "Farkle, you see that white Bull over there on the hill?"

The genius looked to where his friend was pointing and sure enough he saw the rather huge white Bull in question. "Yeah, I see him. What about him?" He was so gonna tell Maya about this if Lucas was planning to ride that thing!

"That's Cain the Bull, the most untamed, wildest free Bull to roam the state of Texas since he came into this world no matter anybody's attempts against him. But I want to do what no one else including Pappy Joe's been able to do and that's to catch him permanently and tame him." Informed Lucas to his two friends with a big smile on his face.

Naturally, both Zay and Farkle were both a bit shocked by this as this was quite possibly the stupidest plan ever! _Crap, I had to be right._

"Oh Lukie! Of all da fool ideas!" Sputtered Cletus as came from the truck that also had a trailer connected to it.

"Tryin' ta catch ol' Cain is somethin' nobody's been able ta do! Not ta mention all da hospital visits after!"

Farkle was pretty nervous after that as he wasn't wanting to make a visit to the hospital thank you very much! "Cletus! Its gonna be fine!" Quickly assured Lucas.

"No Garducky it won't! Don't let stayin' 3 seconds on ol' Tombstone make ya all big headed like!"

"Cletus, I promise I'm not getting big headed at all. Its just me and my friends have done some great things back in New York and I think we'll be able to pull something great here with Cain." After all, he and his friends had managed to prevent Harper and Mr. Matthews from being fired, got Billy to become a better person, got Ms. Hart and Mr. Hunter on more friendly terms, saved classes like the art class from being cut, helped Riley out with her bully, and several other things and the Texan native thought this would be one more thing he, Farkle, and Zay could pull off!

Cletus however wasn't reassured by that and had a feeling that little blonde spitfire was gonna be none too happy about the whole thing after she found out about it! Something the man made sure to tell ol' Lukie about, not that it did him any good. "Maya won't have a problem with any of it after I explain things to her. And if I have too, I'll get Riley to help keep her calm." Farkle couldn't help but snort at that since if Maya really wanted to do something, she wouldn't let Riley stop her unless the brunette managed to pull off a pretty good argument.

"And I am going to use common sense and stay out of this one." Spoke Zay with his arms crossed and a look on his face that told Lucas he wasn't going to be changing his mind.

Lucas looked to Farkle after that with a look on his face that pretty much was him pleading for his friend to do this with him. Something that made Farkle sigh in defeat while kicking himself on the inside for agreeing to this! He could only hope Isadora wouldn't find out about this whole thing! As with her connections at NASA, she would be liable to get him involved with something he'd rather not have anything to do with! "Alright Lucas, despite my better judgement I'll do this with you."

The Texan known as Mr. Perfect whooped in joy while the other two just sighed and shook their heads at the foolishness of it all. "You two are worrying for nothing, besides Cain's pretty old now so its bound to make this a whole lot easier."

Cletus had a feeling it was going to prove to be the opposite but he was gonna keep quiet about that since it wouldn't do him or Zay any good. "If ya say so Garducky, but remember, its yer funeral!"

And with a shake of the head, he went back to the truck and got inside with Zay quickly following him. Throwing a line of rope to Farkle, Lucas and his questionably smart friend slowly walked up the hill with the other two following them in the truck just as slowly so as not to spook Cain. The son of Stuart and Jennifer Minkus wondered if he really was all that smart if he was actually doing this crazy plan of Lucas'. _I think the girls have him more messed up then even he realizes or he wouldn't be doing such an insane idea!_

Once they were a short distance away from Cain, the two boys looked at one another for a moment and then nodded. Spinning their tied ropes in unison for several seconds, they then threw it at the Bull's head and quickly tightened their ropes around its neck. "Rope around the neck a success!" Cheered Farkle in joy and he had the idea that just maybe they would pull this off!

Lucas was likewise very happy about this and started to tighten his grip on his rope before trying to pull the Bull to where he wanted him to go but it would prove to be in vain when Cain let out a very unhappy growl and tried to shake the nuisances away. "Not today Cain!" Yelled out Lucas with Farkle adding in his own piece.

The universe would choose that moment however for Lucas' plan to go straight to crap as the Bull suddenly took off, dragging the boys with him! Both were screaming loudly as they hung on to their ropes with all their might while being dragged on their stomachs as Zay and Cletus looked on with shock and horror on their faces. The two then looked at one another and it wasn't long before they were chasing after the run away Bull. "Hang tight boys! We'll git ya!" Though why neither of the two were letting go was beyond the man!

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**Author's Notes: I hope for those of you reading this, you'll have enjoyed this first chapter! I have some great fun in mind with this whole thing and hopefully the way I plan to do it will be something you guys like. I personally kind of think that Girl Meets Texas should have happened at some point during High School instead of in the 8th grade but of course that's just me. And is something I do plan to explore in a one-shot sometime soon. I'm not entirely sure if it is Garducky Cletus kept saying however but I'm gonna run with it either way. Anywho, R and R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Now… Let's roll on!**

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**Sunday Morning, 9:15 AM at the Friar Ranch**

A groggy Riley shuffled her way into the kitchen at the Friar home as the smell of delicious food being cooked had made for a strong pull on the young girl. "Mmm… That smells good!"

A hearty chuckle from Pappy Joe could be heard as he cooked up a storm. "Why thanks little lady! Just sit on down and I'll have breakfast ready for ya here in a bit!" Breakfast that consisted of eggs, bacon, and sausages.

The slowly waking up girl realized that none of the boys was in the kitchen with her and it made her curious. "Hmm? Oh, the boys decided to take Farkle out to show him more of the way of things around here since he was interested."

"Oh, hope their having fun!" Hah, they all wish they were!

**In a field several miles from the Friar Ranch**

Farkle, Lucas, Zay, and Cletus could all be seen running like crazy from a stampede of horses after they'd had the unfortunate luck to be right in the way of them after Cletus and Zay had managed to get in front of Cain the Bull long enough for the two boys to let go of their ropes. Only for the four to high tail it from the Bull, leading them to winding up right in front of the horses they were now running from. "WORST IDEA EVER!" Shouted Farkle as they all ran.

The four jumped over a small cliff and soon found themselves in a mud hole and they all ducked for cover as the horses jumped over them. It wasn't long before the horses were gone that the 4 breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Lukie, really shouldn't of done dis!"

"Hey! This is just a minor set back is all!" Replied Lucas while the the other three just looked at him with incredulous expressions on their faces.

"Man, those girls have REALLY got you messed up in the head if you still think that catching Cain the Bull is a good idea." Farkle had to nod his agreement over Zay's words.

Lucas ignored his friend's words and got up only to fall down after some mud caused him to slip. And it wasn't long before the 4 were starting to feel itchy. "Boy, I'm itchin' somethin' fierce!" Grumbled Cletus and it wasn't long before they realized that there was fire ants running around as well!

Something that sent the 4 into a mad dash to try and get out of the mud hole and having difficulty in doing so while trying to rid themselves of the ants, Farkle in particular as he had landed wrong on his hand when they had all jumped into the mud hole and he was starting to realize it after the threat of being ran over by horses was over. "We gotta get out of here man!" The genius cried out while trying desperately to rid himself of the fire ants.

**9:40 AM at the Friar Ranch**

The lovely Maya Penelope Hart could next be seen making her way into the kitchen looking rather out of it and likely would have stayed asleep if it wasn't for the alluring smell of food being cooked. "God, that smells so good!" She muttered as she plopped down into a chair next to Riley who was happily enjoying her breakfast with a glass of orange juice.

A plate and a glass of orange juice was then placed in front of Maya and the artist looked up at the person responsible. "Thanks Pappy Joe!" She told the older man with a smile on her tired face and then happily dug in.

"My pleasure Maya!" He told her and found himself wondering yet again if this little spitfire is gonna be the one for Lucas or if the brunette would be the one instead. But if Pappy Joe were a betting man, he'd put money on Lucas and the spitfire winding up together considering how passionate and worried she'd been about his grandson's well being when it came to ol' Tombstone to the point she threatened to never speak with him again. Though that was a situation he intended to stay well out of as it was between them to deal with.

The older man geniunely liked the friends his grandson made and would be more than willing to be their Pappy Joe as much as he was Lucas' as he'd already said as much to Maya the night before. Setting down at the table with his own plate of food and a glass of orange juice, the man got to the fun task of a good morning's eating before getting a few things ready at the house as he was expecting some company to arrive at some point in the day from New York that none of the kids knew about just yet. And while he ate, he hoped that the boys and Cletus were doing okay while they showed Farkle more of the Texas life. But as we all know, they are far from okay!

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**Author's Notes: Just what will happen next to the boys!? Stay tuned to find out! And if you have any suggestions, send em my way! And I can't wait for tonight's GMW episode as a few things I saw on Tumblr have definitely got my interest. R and R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing but what you see here. And now.. On with the third chapter!**

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**10:15 AM, several miles away from the Friar Ranch in a field**

The three boys and Cletus had managed to come across a lake and had immediately jumped into it to rid themselves of the fire ants that had not been very kind to them! After that, they had all sprawled out on the ground near the water and contemplating things. Lucas primarily was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe going after Cain had been a dumb idea after all and while he didn't think Riley would freak out too much, he figured Maya might freak out quite a bit as she had done with him and Tombstone. Frankly, he hoped like crazy the guys wouldn't say anything to the girls, to Pappy Joe, or just anybody in general. Farkle was questioning himself on why he had allowed his genius self to go along with this fool proof crazy plan! He had no doubt Isadora would call it outright foolish and likely wouldn't speak to him for several days and it was a scenario he definitely didn't care for! So her not finding out was a top priority in his book. The genius hoped that Riley and Maya wouldn't find out either about this whole mess but it was a given they probably would. He could only hope that they wouldn't say a word to Isadora!

Disappointment from his parents is one thing, but disappointment from Isadora Smackle was another entirely! As for Zay? Well he wasn't so much contemplating on anything serious in particular aside from regretting coming out there as he was instead envisioning a few joy filled scenarios of the girls ripping into Lucas for this really dumb idea. Especially seeing Maya do it as it was always fun to see Lucas and the Blonde Beauty get into it. The fact his best friend hadn't answered Eric Matthews' question about why he lets the girl call him the names she does was something Zay had a pretty good idea on the answer about. And while he would have loved to shout out what he knew, that kind of meddling was not his place. _Them two are a fire that could last years._ Yeah, that sounded like something out of a romance novel but like with Ballet, romance films was just something he liked! Not that he would ever tell anybody that of course!

Poor ol' Cletus was strongly wishing he had never agreed to this or that he had tried harder to talk Lukie out of going after ol' Cain! If Pappy Joe didn't get him, that lil' blonde girl or Lukie's momma would get him for sure! And he knew from experience that Lukie's momma was way more scarier than what his daddy was. _Oh_ _h_ _! Me and Lukie both gonna wish dat ol' Tombstone got us good after his mom_ _m_ _a gits done wit us!_

**Around the same time at the Friar Ranch**

After getting their bellies filled up, the girls went to go freshen up and pick out what they planned to wear for the day. So far, neither girl had really talked about the previous night and Maya was honestly grateful for that as well since she wasn't ready to talk about that since the whole thing was just confusing for her. To the point she wished that Riley had just stayed out of it and left things be but it wasn't to be. The Blonde Beauty loved the girl but she really needed to learn not to stick her nose in business it has no place being in. Like that time with the Forgiveness Project and boy had Lucas been pretty steamed after he heard about her crying after a certain talk with her dad. She honestly had felt touched that he wanted to confront her dad over his handling of things but refused to even admit that to anybody. Especially since it meant potentially revealing the fact that she was growing to really like the Huckleberry in a more than friendly way.

Something she hadn't expected Riley to catch on too but she did. Maya however wasn't really sure if she should believe her sister's claim about only seeing the Huckleberry as a brother however. Though she did want to tell the girl that the Huckleberry name was her thing only with Lucas. As some things just should be respected darn it! _I kinda hope though that Pappy Joe might have something for us to do that'll keep at least me occupied from having to think too much about last night._ That near kiss and him holding her face the way he had had perhaps been one of the more intense moments in her life. And if she was being honest with herself, a part of her had wanted him to see the kiss through, even if it did potentially make for more confusion.

As for Riley, the daughter of Cory and Topanga was scared of losing Lucas permanently for whatever reason and at least having him as a brother would help prevent that from happening. Even though she knew she felt an entirely different way about him and had outright lied to not only Lucas but Maya as well. But if her best friend and sister in all but blood could find happiness with him, then who was she to deny her that? But Riley did wonder however if the two would even last long as a couple since Maya was so different compared to him. The Pretty Brunette had seen all the moments between the two and the growing closeness that resulted and couldn't deny that there was something there between them. But there was a more selfish part of her that she didn't care for that hoped things would burn out and the two would just be regular old good friends who annoyed the other on occasion.

Leading to her and the Moral Compass re-uniting at a good proper time when it was right. Riley knew she had no place in blurting out how Maya felt towards Lucas but the less selfish side of her wanted her best friend to be happy as she really did truly deserve it. The more selfish side wasn't something the young Matthews girl wanted to really even think about. _I need to talk with mom about all this… She'll know what to do as daddy will not be helpful at all!_ More like have one of his freak outs over the whole thing and likely blow it out of proportion! And that's something she didn't want to have happen.

A knock at the door interrupted the trains of thoughts going through both girls' minds. "Come in!" Called Riley as both she and Maya were still in their pajamas.

Both girls thought it was one of the boys but the sight of Pappy Joe told them otherwise and both were wondering just when exactly they would get back. "S'up Pappy Joe?" Asked Maya curiously and got herself a smile from the older man.

"Well I just wanted to let you ladies know I'm gonna be doin' a little cleanin' up around the house as we're gonna be expectin' company real soon. So if either of you want to lend a hand then feel free, if not, I do understand." And with that, he was back out the door and on his way to start on his tasks. He couldn't wait see the looks on their faces when they saw just who it was that was coming!

Maya looked towards Riley before saying anything even though she had a good idea what her best friend was going to do. "Do I even need to ask?"

Riley smiled at her. "No Peaches, you sure don't!" Yep, they were gonna help! But at least she got her wish so it wasn't all that bad. Maya couldn't help but be curious however on who the company they were expecting was. But considering she was a guest at the Friar Ranch, she really had no place in asking.

**Back with the boys around 10:27 AM**

The foursome were currently making their way back to where they had left the truck after the attempt to catch Cain the Bull. Each of them were thankful nothing else had happened on their trek back and were more than ready to get out of the wet and muddy clothes they were in and get a nice long shower. Though Lucas was worried how things might go once they got back to the ranch as Riley and Maya could be pretty darned determined to find out what was going on when the mood struck them! Or well… Riley was for the most part anyhow and Maya just went along with it for the most part. The young Friar hoped that Pappy Joe wouldn't be too upset with him over this whole mess as he really didn't need him or his parents harping on him when they found out what he had tried to do. The events of today were already punishment enough!

Not to mention Farkle's hand being the way it was after dropping into that mud hole earlier was also a concern as well. "Oh boy..." Came the mutterd words from Cletus all of a sudden and getting Lucas' attention in the process.

"What is it Cletus?" Instead of getting a response, the man pointed and Lucas, Farkle, and Zay all looked in the direction he pointed at and they groaned simultaneously.

For what Cletus had wound up spotting to their dismay was none other than Cain the Bull! Lucas hoped the old Bull had forgotten about what had happened earlier so that he and the others could get a move on to home. "Is it me? Or is Cain comin' our way pretty fast?" Asked Zay with a concerned look on his face.

"ITS NOT YOU!" Yelled out Farkle who then hauled butt in another direction entirely and it wasn't long before the others were following along!

Lord knows what sort of trouble would befall them now as they ran from Cain! But each of the four hoped it wouldn't be all that horrible like it was earlier. "WORST IDEA EVER!" The voices of Farkle and Zay could be heard all over the area but it was a true pity no one was around to come help them out!

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**Author's Notes: Did Cain remember them still? Or is it simply a mis-understanding!? Find out in the next exciting chapter! And how about that Jessica Jones show eh?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing but what you see here. And now… For a quote. "Mommas! Don't let your babies grow up to be booty!" Big E. of the New Day on WWE Raw.**

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**1:10 PM at the Friar Ranch**

The girls and Pappy Joe had had themselves a productive morning by getting the house looking good for their incoming guests and the man had honestly been surprised neither girl had asked him who it was but figured neither of them wanted to seem impolite about it. It had only really taken around forty minutes to get things looking good thanks to all three working together and afterwards the girls got a shower, put on tank tops and shorts, and enjoyed themselves by seeing what ever they could find on tv to be interested in while Pappy Joe sat out on the front porch. The boys had yet to return and the girls figured that they must have been having a really good time doing whatever it is they were doing in showing Farkle the Texas life. The opening of the screen door caught their attention and the newcomer was revealed to be none other than Vanessa. "Hey!" Called out Riley happily with a smile on her face while Maya went back to watching the tv after giving the girl a greeting and nod of her own.

"So the boys left you here huh?" Asked the girl as she came to stand next to the couch after having been informed by Pappy Joe that only the girls were in.

The Blonde Beauty looked over at her. "Yep, Farkle wanted another taste of the good ol' wholesome Texas life."

"He's really come to love it here." Added in Riley with a smile.

"Well that's good to know, what about you two?"

"Its got its charms and I can really see why Lucas missed it a lot."

"What she said." Though for Maya, a part of her wouldn't mind living here as things here had a more simple if wonderful quality. Not to mention the clothing style was actually something she really liked. And she would deny it having anything to do with the Huckleberry and his appreciation of her cowgirl outfits.

"Happy to hear it! Maybe if there's the chance for it before you all leave, the three of us could hang out and get to know one another better?"

"Hey, I'm down. I wouldn't mind hearing a few stories about Butch and Sundance." Maybe use any of it to try and annoy the Huckleberry with too!

"Butch and Sundance?"

"She means Zay and Lucas." Answered Riley who was well versed in all things Maya after years of friendship with her.

Vanessa nodded at that in understanding. "Oh, I see! And yeah I can tell a few stories and then maybe you guys can tell me about the changes that's happened in Zay?" The native Texan was darn curious about that and couldn't wait to hear what brought it on. Especially in regards to that whole people change people bit she remembered him talking about.

"Yeah, sure!" That sounded like a totally fun idea in Riley's view of things while Maya had the thought that maybe Riles wouldn't exactly like some of what she might be told about Lucas.

But the Riley Committee couldn't keep everything from her forever after all and who knows, it might help her best friend to realize the Huckleberry's not the perfect guy she likely may still see him as despite the little she learned after Zay arrived. "Its a plan then!"

One Vanessa looked forward to seeing through very much! A honking could then be heard outside, followed by Pappy Joe calling the girls to come out there with him. Something that made Riley and Maya a bit curious and immediately came outside to see what was going on with Vanessa following along. "Daddy!" Cried out Riley happily.

**Around the same time in a field**

Lucas, Farkle, and Zay were all worn out, dirty as can be, experiencing what could only be described as a state of shock, and vaguely registering the fact they were hungry. The second encounter with Cain had only wound up happening thanks to a bunch of horses who'd gone running by and Cletus had decided to distract the old bull by getting him to follow him so that the boys wouldn't have to keep running. So far they hadn't seen or heard from the man since and they hoped he was okay. Unfortunately their bad luck had continued thanks to an annoyed rattle snake, a hive of wasps, another mud hole that left Lucas with a limp and Zay questioning his own sanity. They were all thankful that the Sun wasn't too hot that it would leave them sun burnt as that would have just sucked otherwise. The boys were currently making their way back in the direction of the Friar Ranch though the trip was taking some time due to how out of it they were thanks to the events they'd gone through.

A honking had them looking in the direction it came from and Farkle wondered if whether or not the insanity of the morning was starting to make him go nuts. Which if he really cared at the moment, would have been a shame considering his genius intellect but at least he wasn't alone as the other two were likely close to going full on whoo! As well. The honking soon pulled up right in front of them, which was actually coming from a truck with Cletus himself driving it. "Ooh wee! Thank da Lord I found yas! Hop on in!" The boys wearily did as told and got in the truck's bed and stayed pretty much where they were with blank expressions on their faces.

 _Here's ta hopin' a little rest will help da boys out!_ Thought the man worriedly as he could clearly see how out of it the three were and he could bet Lukie wouldn't ever think of tryin' to catch ol' Cain ever again!

Heck, he himself had been lucky to make it back to his truck and haul tail from Cain! Course it wound up taking him a good while to find the boys but thankfully he'd been able too.

**1:30 PM at the Friar Ranch**

After the surprising sight of Topanga, Cory, and Auggie Matthews, along with Katy Hart and Shawn Hunter, the Minkus' and the Babineaux family who had led the way to the Ranch after they had all gotten off the train aside from Katy and Shawn who had made the trip in his truck using his dad's old mobile home, things had calmed down. Or at least as calm as could be when you got a big group happening and a very excited Riley Matthews anyway. Maya had even given props to Pappy Joe for being able to keep this from her and Riley and the older man laughed heartily at the compliment from her and gave her a one arm hugged that the girl honestly loved. The fact that Shawn was with her mother for this trip also made the young artist very happy as well since it was just another sign that the relationship between the two was going really well. And while she'd been curious about the lack of Friars being there with them, it'd been Riley who asked the question on her mind and Zay's father had informed them that they would be arriving either later in the day or sometime tomorrow due to some last minute things Lucas' dad had to do.

The lack of Josh 'Uncle Boing' Matthews was kind of a slight relief for Maya too since that was the last thing she needed on top of the thing with Huckleberry. A room had been set up for the Matthews family while the Babineaux would stay with some family of their own and Shawn and Katy would stay in the mobile home that would be staying on Friar land after Pappy Joe had given the okay. Stuart and Jennifer would be staying at a hotel as well. An interesting revelation had occurred when the girls and the adults aside from Shawn and Pappy Joe had learned that the two knew one another after a random encounter back during Shawn's first road trip after his father's death. The older man had been happy to see that the young man had found himself and Maya had even learned that he'd given Shawn the same 'take life by the horns' speech like he did her before Lucas had rode Tombstone.

Something that Zay's father had revealed that Lucas' mom hadn't been too happy about once she learned of it. And nor had she been impressed with how long he managed to stay on the Bull but his dad on the other hand actually seemed proud of his boy. Riley had asked Pappy Joe why he hadn't mentioned telling Lucas' parents that and he had simply said he hadn't thought it was important he had said anything to their friend's parents. That and he didn't even know about his own son's reaction either but had been aware of his daughter in law's reaction since she had made it clear to him over the phone about an impending lecture the next time she saw him and her son. Maya had gotten a good chuckle from that as she had met the woman herself and had gotten quite the impression about the woman.

As while she may be a sweet woman who loved her son greatly, she was definitely not someone you wanted to annoy! It made her wonder if she'd always been like that or if she'd gotten it from her husband, someone Maya herself had yet to meet despite the few times she'd been over to the Friar house. "So, I couldn't help but notice the boys haven't shown up yet." Pointed out Stuart, as he'd been wondering where his son and comrades were.

"Your boy wanted to experience more of the Texan life and the other two obliged him." Informed Pappy Joe, who honestly figured they would have been back by now unless they were just having too much fun. Hah! Something we all know full well is clearly not the case!

"You should have seen him with the BBQ at Chubbie's Mr. Minkus! Was like he discovered religion or somethin'." Maya said with a smile as the reaction he'd had to it had been awesome!

"CHUBBIES!"

Everyone couldn't help but give Cory a look after that excited shout of his. "Heh… Sorry, I just really love that place!" The fact New York didn't have one of those had always been something the teacher disliked quite a bit.

Both Shawn and Topanga could clearly see where that could potentially lead but neither were particularly inclined to fight against it since they too had loved the place back in Philly, though maybe not as much as Cory had. A honking was then heard and after a look out the window, Pappy Joe saw that it was Cletus and the boys and the group immediately were out the door single file like. "Whoa, they look messed up!" Spoke up Auggie excitedly and everybody had to agree on that statement!

Cletus could be seen trying to get the boys to get down from the truck but none of them were responding. "It appears the Texan life proved to be a bit much for not only Farkle." Commented Stuart glibly and earning himself a swat on the arm from his wife.

Maya would be the one who came up to the stationary boys with Riley trailing along with a concerned look on her face. "Well you guys look like crap." Summed up Maya and getting a reprimand from Riley in the process.

"What!? Its true Riles!"

"But you don't have to say it! I'm sure they already know that!"

Maya couldn't help but shake her head in exasperation as Farkle slowly turned to look right at her and would then do something the girls, Auggie, and the adults would never have expected to happen. Especially from him! "ITS THE CHILD OF CAIN IN HUMAN FORM!" This prompted Lucas and Zay to start freaking out along side him while holding one another as everyone looked on in shock!

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**Author's Notes: Originally I had it planned to have McCullough Senior bring the boys home after it had gotten pretty late and then for him and Pappy Joe to try and find Cletus who would nearly wind up being Coyote chow after trying to establish peaceful relations thanks to how out of it he was due to the day's events. But alas, things worked out differently.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: As you know by now, I own nothing but what you see here. I am planning to do a sequel involving Christmas and I may do something with the New Year's episode too. But we'll see about that but I'm thinking of that primarily being a one-shot. This chapter also introduces Lucas' father who will NOT be some abusive asshole like a few writers have depicted him as despite the fact there's been no evidence of it. Think more of a Red Forman type of man however. Anyways… On with the show!**

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It'd taken ten minutes to get the boys to stop freaking out over Cain the Bull, lakes, Fire Ants, mud holes, running horses, cliffs, angry wasps, and annoyed snakes. Something that honestly confused everybody but Pappy Joe wound up having a good laugh after he figured out that Cain The Bull must have sent them on quite the ride today. Maya was quick to figure out that it wasn't either Zay or Farkle who had thought of that dumb idea and had deduced that good ol' Huckleberry thought of it and boy was she not happy! But as a form of punishment, she got up into the back of the truck and got close to his face and uttered a soft 'moo' to his face that had quite the reaction from him as he looked at her in wide eyed shock and then frantically went over the side of the truck!

Something that didn't go too well for the Texan due to his limp and Maya wound up getting another reprimand from Riley over it but she merely told her best friend that he deserved it for being such a dummy. Lucas and Farkle were taken to the hospital since Zay had some how come out of that whole thing without getting hurt and was eventually joined by the two boys on the couch where they all stayed that way due to the shock of the day's events. Everybody aside from Maya tried to get them to snap out of it as she'd been too busy doing other things like art and having a debate with Shawn over making art versus taking an amazing photo. Something Cory had been happy to see since he so rarely got to see her be so passionate about something.

Even Riley had been in awe over it and had been glad she had brought the camera Uncle Shawn had given to her last year as it meant she got to take some amazing pictures of the area. The tips she got from her uncle was pretty great too as it helped her to do better shots. The parents, Shawn, and Farkle could also see where Zay got his laid back attitude in the form of his mother as she loved a good joke and was just so easy to get along with. Her husband was also easy to get along with as well and was a big fan of Baseball. Something Cory and Shawn actually loved since they were still pretty big Baseball fans themselves.

Maya would do the 'moo' thing a few more times, mostly to Lucas as she felt he deserved it and eventually the day and night passed but the boys would stay right where they were on that couch through out all of it right up until Lucas' father came in the door that following Monday. "Lucas, why aren't you out there helping your mother?"

Normally his boy would do what was needed of him without having to be asked due to how he and his wife had raised him. Even during that time he'd not exactly been an ideal son due to all the trouble he got himself into with Isaiah being involved half the time. Coming around to the front of the couch to get his son's attention, Jefferson Friar quickly saw that his boy and his two friends looked like they'd been in a pig pen recently. "Well, don't you three look like crap." He remarked sarcastically and wondering if that would get a response of all things.

But lo and behold, his son slowly looked up at him. "D-dad?"

Jefferson just sighed in response. "Yes, son, its me. You mind telling why you and the other two look like you've been in a pig pen and decided to ruin this couch?"

A couch that had been with the family for generations mind you! Unfortunately for Lucas, it was Zay who actually spoke up. "Cain The Bull is why we look like this sir. Cause Lucas here decided to try and catch him and ended up giving all three of us a very bad day." Groused the kid as he thankfully, finally, came out of his shock! Though how well he came out of that is another story entirely however.

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

The boys flinched in response as the man dropped the bags he'd been holding. "Out of all the stupid ideas in the world, you had to try and do that!? You could have gotten not only yourself killed, but these two knuckleheads killed as well!"

"For the record..." Zay wasn't able to finish that sentence thanks to the glare he got from the older man!

"Now Jefferson, let's try to keep calm okay? It does you no good to get so worked up!" Came the voice of a beautiful angel with long blonde hair in a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots.

She had a bag in her hand while the brunette and blonde girls had several bags in their hands as well thanks to the fact they'd been outside doing something or other he hadn't cared to much about. "Hey Mrs. Friar, you wanna see somethin' cool?" Asked the short blonde with a smirk on her face.

"Why I would be delighted to see it Maya."

_Great, probably something dumb._

Coming up behind the boys with that smirk still in place on her face. She let out one sound. "MOOOO!" The reaction was surprising as Hell to the older man and his wife as the boys suddenly shot up in a panic. Making Jefferson quickly get out of the way in the process.

Farkle and Zay wound up crashing into one another and it caused them to fall down in the process while Lucas actually hopped over the side of the couch and hid there muttering about hiding from Cain The Bull. "Maya!" Reprimanded the brunette sternly as Maya looked on in amusement by the whole thing.

Jefferson pinched the bridge of his nose after having seen the three act like a bunch of idiots. "Now Maya, you know its not nice to do such things like that."

"But its so much fun! Besides, maybe it'll get that Ranger Rick of a son of yours to never even think about going near a Bull again then I'll have done my job."

Lucas' mom looked as if she was actually considering what had been said and Riley was honestly shocked by that as there had to be better ways to handle this kind of thing! "There are other ways to go about it! What kind of society are we making for ourselves if this how we handle things?"

"Aww, I'm just joking Honey! I know how much Hop-A-Long's momma loves him and she wouldn't agree to that kind of thing in any way."

"Hmmph, I would." Muttered Jefferson.

" _Mr. Friar!_ " Responded Riley similarly in the way she had with Dave during that detention they all had awhile back.

The older man could only look at her. "What!? If it helps him make less idiotic moves then I'm all for it." Jefferson had a feeling he would like the blonde a whole helluva lot if she had suggestions like that!

His wife just looked at him as if she was implying that she thought he was just being silly. A look he'd gotten often over the years unfortunately but love her he did regardless of it. Riley could hardly believe what she was hearing! The world was going mad in her view and it made her wonder how Lucas had turned out as wonderful as he did! Yeah, his mom was as sweet as can be but her husband was just not very nice! It made her think too much about that show about people from the seventies and how one of the characters was such a grouch! How he had stayed that way with a happy woman like his wife she would never know. And as she thought of something to say in a situation like this, the universe would decide to take it out of her hands when her father and Uncle Shawn came in looking rather muddy.

"I'm tellin' ya Shawny! It was supposed to go into the ground with a right twist!"

"Right, somehow I'm not so sure about that Cor." The two stopped suddenly from their argument when they realized the living room wasn't all that empty aside from the boys!

And as a matter of fact, that tall blonde woman looked quite familiar to the two. And then it clicked as they pointed at her and did that gasping thing they did anytime they realied they were in a certain kind of trouble with certain people. "Wendy Jansen!?" Shouted out Cory moments later in a shocked voice!

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**Author's Notes: Heh, actually had been looking forward to writing this moment with the reveal of who I thought Lucas' mom might be. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and Sabrina Carpenter's music videos are kind of inspiring me with future ideas.**

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The living room was completely silent after Cory's shocked yell and feeling a little cold too for that matter. Riley glanced at Mrs. Friar and was surprised to see the woman giving off a glare in her father's direction! _Oh daddy, what did you do!?_

Maya couldn't help the grin on her face as she also realized something was clearly up with Momma Friar and Mr. Matthews if the reactions were anything to go by. Jefferson was having a sinking feeling in his gut as it wasn't often his wife would get such a look on her face, especially a glare that strong for that matter! Farkle, Zay, and Lucas were all very confused by what was going on and hoped they wouldn't be hearing cow sounds anytime soon as well. "Cory Matthews… What a surprise to see you here. Of all places."

Cory laughed nervously. "Yeah, a complete surprise! One I never would have expected in a million years kind of complete surprise! How ya been!?"

Wendy crossed her arms and continued to glare at him and wishing it would melt him! "I've been absolutely wonderful. After all, it only took years for me to get over what you did to my heart to get to this point of wonderful! A state of wonderful I owe to Jefferson for doing what no one else could in mending the broken being that was me. A broken being that you Cory Matthews caused!"

The father and teacher held up his hands in defense after that in the hopes it'd somehow help him out. "Shawn deserves some of the blame for that too ya know!"

"Hey!"

The girls looked at one another as this was getting really interesting! Though Riley was wondering on how to go about fixing this whole mess! Everyone watched as Mrs. Friar turned her glare on Shawn who actually backed up with a freaked out expression on his face. "Hmm… A valid point." Admitted the woman.

"In my defense, I was a kid back then with really dumb views on dating and the like. But its not like I was the only one with those views!" Tried the photographer as a defense.

But unfortunately for him, Wendy was not impressed with that! Something he thankfully caught on too, what with the scary as heck glare she was sending his way. "Would it help if I apologized?"

Granted, Shawn was of the opinion the lady needed therapy for cryin' out loud if it actually took her years to get over what happened in the 8th grade! "I'll apologize too! Heck I tried to way back when!" Added in Cory with a fervent nod while remembering how much of a failure that had been.

Wendy walked up the two while everyone else in the room watched with baited breath. "They are _SO_ gonna get it!" Threw in Maya with a huge smile on her face.

Getting as close as she could to the two men, Wendy stared at them while hiding the fact she was enjoying seeing the two look so scared of her. Then, a smile appeared on her face. "Gotcha!" Came the unexpected moment that completely caught the two men off guard as she leaned away, spun around with her hair flying into their faces, and walking away from them.

"Uhh… What!?"

Wendy turned around with a big smile on her face while both Maya and Jefferson were smirking as they realized what had happened. "What's going on here!?" Asked Shawn in confusion.

"What's going on Shawn is that I just played you and Cory."

"Nice one Momma Friar!" Cheered Maya and even Riley had to admit that was a good move despite being confused about everything.

"Why thank you Maya, its nice to have support in my corner."

"I'm in your corner momma." Cut in Lucas earnestly.

She looked his way and gave him a smile. "I know sweety, I know and I love that very much." Maya made a suspicious coughing noise that sounded like 'Momma's Boy.'

The whole thing made her wonder how in the heck she liked the guy so much. Maya then gave him a sweet little smile meant to show she was an innocent girl after he glared at her and she could tell he definitely wasn't buying it! _Oh yeah, now I remember why!_ Thought the artist happily as he could take what she dished out and keep on going and even respond in kind.

The fact he could get all 'fired up' on her behalf like Zay had put it once was another factor in that too. Riley tried not to frown at the scene as she wanted to maintain the whole Brother/Sister thing she started with him while the adults, well Wendy mostly, found the scene to be really cute and or interesting. Cory had long gotten the impression there was something happening between the two and he was worried how that might affect Riley given the fact she'd grown up on the stories of him and Topanga and likely had gained an idealization of first crush being your forever one. It made him think back to a discussion Topanga had with him about a moment their son had with Ava and his own little view of things thanks to the idea of him and Topanga being like they were. Sooner or later a discussion was going to have to be had with his eldest as not everyone had something like he and his Topi did.

Shawn was feeling a bit protective of Maya but he couldn't help but notice how different the girl was with Lucas compared to what he heard about her and Josh. He wondered if maybe a little talk with Lucas Friar was in order about his intentions towards Maya Hart. _Look at me being all fatherly._ It still amazed the Hell out of him that this was even happening to him as he never quite thought it would. But never the less he was thankful for it as he now had a great girlfriend in Katy Hart and her daughter was truly special in her own right and a part of him wouldn't mind being a dad to her. Then again he kind of was when he thought about it, he just wasn't being called 'dad' yet. That idea of his about finding something more local was starting to have more appeal by the day in his view. Course this whole 'gotcha' thing by Wendy really needed to be addressed thank you very much!

Then maybe he could question Lucas' motives… _Still one half of the King of Schemes!_ He thought it was a full proof plan but hoped life would actually be in his corner on this one like the reunion of mother and daughter.

Jefferson was just thankful his boy didn't wind up with the wild ideas his mother had thanks to her crazy family. His name was pretty much mud amongst the Jansen women while the men envied him for having done what no other man had by usurping the power and convincing Wendy it was better to live on their own. And while the Jansen women didn't much care for him, they sure loved Lucas a lot! They had even tried to impart their views of romance on him but thankfully it hadn't cottoned on due to his involvement and the Jansen men's discrete intervention. Jefferson caught the short lived frown from the brunette over the interaction between his boy and the blonde and knew that couldn't bode well for the future. _Jealousy ain't never a good thing as it can destroy even the most solid of relationships of any kind._

He finally got why though on why his wife seemed to like the blonde as much as she did. "Now hold on a minute! You never got anybody lady, Cory and I knew full well what you were doing."

"Yeah!" Added in Cory with a nod.

Wendy shook her head as she found the two to be amusing in what they were attempting to do. "Oh daddy, its okay to admit she got you. It happens!" Added in Riley and Cory couldn't help but feel betrayed!

"Riley!"

Laughter could be heard after that as the lovely Riley Matthews smiled all cutely at him. Shawn couldn't help but smirk at the little girl for getting to her father like that but no sir was it going to affect him! "Yeah, Hunter, take it like a man!"

"Maya!" The tone of his voice and the look of shock on the man's face made the girl burst into laughter.

A laugh Lucas in all the confusion couldn't help but love hearing and Zay smirked at him when he saw the look on his best friend's face as their friend laughed. Riley couldn't help but feel happy in knowing how close her best friend and her uncle were getting as time went on. And maybe that little idea of him being Maya's father would be a reality one day soon too. The thought of that was enough to make her giddy and nearly go 'Yay!' but she managed to keep a lid on it. Though maybe if she went outside soon she could let it loose…

"Would you all excuse me for a moment?"

Not waiting to get a response, Riley made her way outside leaving everybody else wondering what the girl was planning to do. Cory sent Maya a look asking if she knew anything. "Nah, I got nothin'." She told him with a shrug.

"YYYYAAAAAAYYY!" Came the unexpected shout soon afterwards.

"Huh, guess it must have been a real happy thought she had." Supplied Maya with another shrug as it was likely the most accurate thing she could think of.

Jefferson thought about asking but in the end decided against it. _That girl sure is a strange one._

"Yep, that's my daughter alright."

The rest of the day would pass uneventfully, of course Lucas would have to put up with his momma fretting over him thanks to the situation with his leg. Something Maya, Zay, and Farkle had found pretty amusing until his own mother started doing it to him. Topanga and Wendy even became quick friends with Zay's mother later on joining the two, much to Cory's horror and Shawn's amusement. Course when Katy got involved he wasn't finding it nearly as amusing. At one point during the day, Maya even managed to convince Shawn to take her shopping for art supplies since she had left her's back home and Katy privately loved the idea of the two doing that together. She was pleasantly surprised however when both of them told her they wanted her along as well. Had it been any other time, Riley probably would have asked if she could go with but she could tell this was something private for the three of them.

Though none of them knew a storm was brewing that would make things real interesting when Lucas finally decided to speak his piece about the recent developments between him, Riley, and Maya.

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**Author's Notes: And here we are good buddies! May you all have enjoyed this chapter! Coming up next, Lucas goes a little nuts over the situation with him and the girls. And for those of you who read the one-shot I did involving him and cookies that's set after the New Year's episode, I'm sure you'll especially love seeing him go Whoo! Although I'm thinking of either making that chapter mostly over that whole situation with him and the girls and then doing the Thanksgiving dinner chapter after that or just combine the two. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated! And uhh.. How ridiculous would it be if Maya and Lucas took on a bunch of punk kids and actually won? R and R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. And since I didn't get much in the way of feedback regarding how I should handle the next part of the story, I'll just go with it in the way you'll all see here. I love the support however from you guys either way as its great! I'm happy to know you guys are enjoying this story. Warning however, this is gonna be longer then previous chapters have been and a bit heavy on drama and some angst.**

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**Tuesday, November 24th 2015 at the Friar Ranch around 2:30 PM**

Tuesday rolled around and Lucas had spent the majority of it with his dad and Pappy Joe doing errands and other various things with the two older men. Something he had enjoyed greatly as he hardly got to be around his dad despite the man's gruffness which had long been one of the reasons for Lucas' anger issues. And as they were headed back to the ranch, he thought it might be a good idea to talk to the two older men about his recent situation with Riley and Maya since going Mr. Matthews and Mr. Hunter was likely a bad idea considering how Riley's dad could be at times where he and Riley were concerned. He wasn't sure how Mr. Hunter would take the whole thing due to how close he was with Maya and might be likely to take a cue from his best friend. "So can I talk to you two about somethin'?"

Jefferson and Pappy Joe looked at one another and wondered what the younger man needed to talk to them about. Of course Pappy Joe had a pretty good idea about what that might be since he had a front row seat to some of the action involving his grand son and his two lady friends. "What's on your mind son?"

A gruff hard ass he could be, but he was there when it counted when it came to his family. Even if his son didn't quite see it that way. "What do you do when the girl you like but didn't think you had a chance with actually tells you how she feels yet the other one you've had an unofficial thing with for awhile now tells you she see's you like a brother out of the blue?"

"Do you see her like a sister?"

"No, just a really good friend who is like me in a few ways." Even though he still felt her reaction towards certain things Zay had alluded too when he first came around had been a little much. Had it not been for a certain Shortstack of Pancakes that talk in the cafeteria with Riley likely would have gone a lot worse.

"Thing is, she's barely given me the opportunity to argue against it and it didn't really help when she outed her best friend's feelings when it should have been her who did it of her own free will."

Course, getting Maya to admit something that serious was like trying to calm Tombstone the Bull down before he could destroy a China Shop. And he knew that quite well after that night at the campfire where she was concerned. "And the other girl?" Asked Pappy Joe after a few moments of silence.

"She's so different from her best friend; stubborn, artistic, sarcastic, always callin' me names, Ha-Hurrin' me right in my face, her home life hasn't been the easiest but she's still a great girl despite it. I don't feel like I have to be some Mr. Perfect who's a Moral Compass when I'm with her and givin' back as good as I can in our little game."

"You as a Moral Compass huh? Considering your past Lucas that's not exactly something that describes you. Though your mother has told me you have been doing better since coming to New York and I'm proud of that."

Lucas had to nod at his dad's words as he couldn't really find the first part insulting since it was true. A part of him wishes he hadn't embraced the Mr. Perfect/Moral Compass thing but the chance for a new start and the fact he'd been welcomed as warmly as he had been had made him a little afraid of ruining things if he acted in any other way. Riley had quickly been into him since nearly the start of their knowing one another and he could tell she considered it to be more of a big deal then most kids their age normally would. The fact he had waited where the Semi-Formal was concerned and had just assumed he and Riley would go told him that maybe something with Riley wasn't possible just yet. But the idea of Maya gave him a feeling he didn't quite get with the Pretty Brunette. Heck, the fact he described Maya as the Blonde Beauty was clearly a sign right there!

He knows he's done more with Maya in terms of interacting and touches then he ever really has with Riley. The butt slap last year had been weird but a little flattering and the fact Riley herself wasn't doing as much where he was concerned this year was clearly a sign as well. But whether or not she had even realized that was another thing entirely. "Let me guess, little Riley is the one who pretty much see's you as this perfect kid while that spitfire friend of hers doesn't?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it sir." Answered Lucas to Pappy Joe who only nodded in return.

"Maya's smarter than she lets on and she's clearly long already figured out I'm not what others in New York seem to think I am. That I have it easy bein' me. Somethin' she seems to think too for some odd reason." A sigh came from him after that as he wondered how even she could think that if she could clearly tell he wasn't some Mr. Perfect. The fact she'd gotten pretty happy over finding out what she thought about him from Zay was pretty close to accurate was a clue to how smart she could be and definitely didn't deserve having others mock her intelligence like he'd seen Riley and her dad do a time or two.

Even if it had been meant in jest. "Well it sounds to me that you need to have a serious talk with the girls then to get all this sorted out. If there's one thing your grandfather and I know, its that women of all ages and races are mysterious and somewhat difficult creatures at times but they are always worth it."

"There's also more than friendly feelings in all this too so my question is, which of the two do you see yourself with as more than friends? Cause if the unofficial thing never went anywheres, then either you and her ain't ready or may just not ever work out like that." Added in Pappy Joe. Who had been able to tell right off the bat about how awkward things had been between his grandson and Maya after they had come back from the camp fire.

But he had seen the two interact before that point and as well as the clear concern she had for him to the point she was afraid of watchin' him ride ol' Tombstone. Where as little Riley seemed more concerned about how people viewed his grandson when he caught saw of her askin' around about the views people had of Lucas. The girl in his view clearly had some realizin' to do about how it didn't matter what others thought of you. And if she already had learned it? Well, it seems she might need another lesson on the subject. But that wasn't his place to do however. Jefferson hoped the advice he gave his son would help him out in this whole mess. Pity however that something like this didn't wait until a little later in his teenaged life, but sometimes an early start happens. But at least it was with two girls his boy cared about and who cared about him in return.

Any opinions he had on the two girls in question however was best left not thought about or mentioned as he hadn't been around either one long enough to form a real good opinion aside from the fact that the brunette always seemed to be so darn happy while the blonde was happy but not to the extreme her friend was. The home life bit Lucas had mentioned during the talk showed the man a clear view of why the girl was a lot different compared to her cheerful friend. Her attitude is probably what attracted his son to the girl in the first place. And while it had been dumb as Hell to him, it had been amusing to see how his son and his two friends had reacted when she made that cow noise.

**Meanwhile, at the Friar Ranch**

Girl talk at one point had started up in full swing once again at the Friar Ranch between Topanga, Wendy, Katy, and Jennifer Minkus. Mrs. Babineaux had yet to show up and the ladies had all figured she was likely doing something with her husband and their son. Katy was honestly enjoying her time with the two and had been given a little blackmail on Shawn to use against him if she so wanted too. The three had also already made plans to start talking more often once they got back to New York as it was too fun not to do. And then Riley showed up with the intent of getting advice with Maya trailing along behind her and looking as if she'd rather be elsewhere at the moment. "I don't see why we even need to talk about this to begin with. You're the one who pretty much started the whole thing." Maya had muttered after the two girls had come in and prompting the curiousity of the three mothers.

Riley had mentioned afterwards that she felt like she had done the right thing as she wanted her best friend to be happy and it'd be Topanga who'd respond first. "Honey, your heart was in the right place but it wasn't your place to out Maya's feelings as it was her place to do and no one else's."

"Yeah, I like the Huckleberry, I admit it. I mean… How can you NOT like the guy? You've liked him since you fell into his lap that first time on the Subway."

"Because you pushed me onto him Maya! Right after you had a ten second relationship with him I might add! But yeah, I did wind up liking him thanks to you."

"Best ten seconds of my life." Maya remarked with a smile.

"See? Why deny yourself more of that? Its why I stepped back cause I want you to be happy. And if he makes you happy then that's what's important."

"Umm… Just a moment if you don't my interrupting."

All the ladies looked towards Jennifer with curious looks on their faces. "It should be known that you don't have to have a guy in your life to be really, truly happy. A man can make you happy yes, but he only adds to the happiness that's already in your life."

The girls nodded at that and Riley especially felt like she had learned something important just now. "But what happens when the two of you break up and not want much to do with one another?"

"Then you move on and eventually find someone new when the time comes. Your parents are a rare exception in life of true love between the two since they were kids themselves. For most it takes years before you'll even find that one special person you'll be able to actually live with for the rest of your life."

"And you should never base your views on relationships from the one your father and I have either as that's only going to leave you with an idealized view of relationships. Something your little brother learned about last year." Threw in Topanga after Jennifer had had her say.

"But what if you are friends with someone, date them, and then break up but still want them in your life as a friend? Is that even possible? I've heard the story about Rachel from Jack and Uncle Eric and it… It really scares me."

"Its certainly possible Riley, it just depends on the circumstances involved is all." Chipped in Wendy and gaining nods from the others.

"And at your age, you really shouldn't be worrying about that anyway. Same for you baby girl. You've got plenty of time before you start worrying about serious stuff like that." Maya nodded at her mom's words and was having a strong suspicion about Riley's actual feelings regarding Lucas.

Riley had a lot to think about now but she had already pushed her best friend and sister towards the boy she really liked and didn't want to cause a problem for the two of them. Even if it would hurt her in the process. The fact Lucas had made more effort with Maya and seemed more at ease with her despite the teasing bothered the young girl a bit and she remembered how she'd felt somewhat hurt that her Texan friend hadn't gone for some big grand gesture in asking her to the Semi-Formal just cause he assumed they were going together. That it had been Charlie Gardner instead who did the big grand gesture had been really surprising if somewhat flattering when she really thought about it. A part of her wondered what Lucas would have done if it was Maya in that position instead of her.

"Is that why you've bro-zoned the guy?" Came the unexpected question that broke the girl from her thoughts.

Maya hoped nobody could hear the slight bit of emotion in her voice as a part of her wasn't potentially relishing the idea of having to step back again. As no way did she want to hurt her best friend by dating the guy she really liked no matter how much she liked him. Even if Lucas had nearly kissed her and stared into her eyes like she was the only other person in the world, the Compass likely still felt things for Riley as it is and Maya didn't want to be some second best choice just cause he couldn't be with his first choice. The wide eyed look she got from her best friend made her heart sink as she realized then and there that Riley really didn't see him as a brother. Which meant that she had lied to her when sisters aren't supposed to do that!

"Of course not Maya! You like him and he clearly likes you and I stepped back so I wouldn't be in the way!" Informed Riley with a half truth but the look she was getting told her that Maya wasn't being sold on it.

The four mothers exchanged a look between one another as they knew that while they could offer all the advice in the world, this was clearly something that was going to have to be resolved by the girls themselves. Though Lucas himself was going to have to be allowed a say in it as well instead of being passed back and forth like some sort of doll. It'd be Katy who would ask the question of what Lucas had to say over the whole thing before Maya could say anything back to Riley. The question from her mother had managed to catch the young artist by surprise as she realized that neither her or Riley had really given the Huckleberry a chance to really say much on the whole thing.

Even if he had tried to fight Riley on the whole brother thing and clearly wasn't liking certain things she was doing that Maya would do with the exception of hitting him. The surprised looks the girls had on their faces told the mothers all they needed to know. But before more could be said however, Lucas chose that moment to limp inside with a determined look on his face. "Riley! We REALLY need to talk." He informed her as he came up to her and the others.

"Okay… What about?"

Lucas hesitated at first as he fully realized they had something of an audience. _Well, I guess better now than later._

Auggie chose that moment to come into the living room as well as he continued to talk to Ava on his mom's cell phone. "I can't be your brother Riley." Maya couldn't help but look down with a hurt look on her face as she knew where this was going.

"But Lucas, we already talked about this. You and me, brother and sister? Never losing the other from the other's life with this?" Tried the girl while her best friend just groaned as they had clearly just talked about this whole thing not even five minutes ago!

"Whoa! Nuh uh! Back up the train!" Cut in Auggie with an unhappy look on his face as he came up to the group.

"Hold on Ava, I have something I need to deal with then I'm all yours again." Those words had gained him some amused looks from three of the mothers as Topanga still clearly had some issues with the girl.

The youngest Matthews looked right at his sister with a look on his face that was meant to be all business but instead just made him look really cute in the eyes of the mothers. "I am your ONLY brother Riley. Lucas is not your brother, Farkle is not your brother, Zay is not your brother. Just ME and only ME! Got it?"

He then turned his attention to Lucas himself. "You hear that? I am her only brother and that's just the way it is."

"Yes sir, Mr. Matthews sir." Replied the teen with a nod and tried to fight back a smile.

"But Auggie..."

"No buts! End of story!" And with that, he went back to the serious business of talking with Ava on the phone as he walked away.

The living room was silent after that with the exception of the screen door opening up and Jefferson and Pappy Joe coming inside. "Well… I guess that's then. You two are gonna be Mr. Perfect and the Princess of the Summer Rain."

Lucas looked at Maya in confusion as she gave him a small and unless he was mistaken, sad smile as her mother looked at her in concern. "What… What are you talkin' about Maya?" That was definitely NOT what he had been thinking of at all.

"Isn't it obvious Huckleberry? You don't want to be her brother and you two are clearly meant for one another as it is anyway so I'm stepping back."

Riley wasn't the only one looking at her in shock over that as none of them had been expecting the girl to do that considering what had just been discussed. Katy had a sinking feeling this related to certain views her daughter had about some things and hoped she could find a way to somehow change those views before it ruined her own chance at happiness. Maya couldn't exactly understand why her Ranger Rick had a hurt if confused look on his face after she'd said her piece. "Umm.. Do I not get a say in this or somethin'? Cause I think I have the right to and the both of you are forgettin' that."

There was a hint of annoyance and anger in his voice and Wendy winced as she knew this could go badly if not handled right between the three. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was goin' to tell Riley I just wanted to be friends and nothin' more? That maybe I hate the hittin' she does and that only you get to call me things like Huckleberry? Or did you both just decide to make a decision without letting me get a say in the whole thing?"

Riley had a hurt look on her face as she felt that Lucas was implying that he wasn't into her as more then a friend anymore and came to the late realization of how uncomfortable Lucas had been with the hitting after she started the whole brother/sister thing with him. Maya wasn't feeling too proud of herself then and there as she'd done something she hadn't meant to do at all. Especially after the talk she and Riley had just had for crying out loud with the moms. Clearly she had some growing and learning to do so that she hopefully wouldn't make a mistake like that again. The very unhappy look her Huckleberry was giving both her and Riley wasn't something she cared much for either. Jefferson and Pappy Joe exchanged a look between the two of them as they wondered how this was going to go next.

"Just because I'm okay with pretty much anything doesn't necessarily mean its true. There's a time when a man reaches his limit and I'm pretty much at that point! I am not some Moral Compass like a lot of people think I am and the fact you acted like I had done some great wrong by not tellin' you about my past after Zay showed up bothered the ever lovin' crap out of me Riley. Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe I wanted to forget and move on cause I wasn't proud of my past?"

Oh yeah, Lucas Friar was definitely not happy anymore and Riley was trying to fight back tears as he went off on his tangent. The normally happy go lucky girl was feeling ashamed herself for how she had acted after Zay had come into their lives in her daddy's classroom and back then she never even considered how Lucas was feeling when she was handling things badly. "The world does NOT revolve around the two of you and you both SERIOUSLY need to start heavily considerin' other peoples' feelings."

Now Maya could understand why he was so angry but he was really starting to get a little out of line, yeah she knew that they needed to not jump the gun on things but he didn't need to be such a darn jerk about the whole thing. And so she came past Riley with an unhappy look of her own and got right into Lucas' face. "You need to calm down right now Ranger Rick before I do somethin' you're not gonna like at all."

"And what's to stop me from grabbin' your face again just like I did at the camp fire?" Came the heated reply as he stared into her eyes as everyone couldn't help but wonder over that.

"Cause you are not that kind of a jerk, duh."

"I don't know, I did some real bad things before I came to New York."

"Somehow, I doubt you ever grabbed a girl's face and almost kissed her." Challenged the blonde with a small smirk and Lucas sighed in annoyance as she had him there.

Riley's eyes had gone wide as she definitely hadn't expected to hear that! _He… Almost kissed Maya!? Why didn't he do it!?_ It would have been his moment for sure! A moment that she might have once thought would have been hers to have with him.

"You got me but I'm tellin' you right now that I'm not gonna like it one single bit if you decide to step back Maya."

Maya sighed at that as she didn't really want to step back either but she didn't want to hurt Riles over having a relationship with the guy since she still clearly felt something for him! Lucas could see the conflict in the girl's eyes and realized this wasn't going to be an easy battle to win. Sighing in defeat, he turned around and started to limp away and making everybody confused over it. "Umm… What… What'cha doin' Hop-A-Long?" As really, Maya had not expected him to just up and walk away!

He turned to look at her. "The Mad Dog is goin' for a walk ma'am." And with that, he was gone.

Silence reined in the living room and it wasn't long before Riley ran off to the bedroom she and Maya shared and there was no doubt in anyone's minds that she was likely in tears now. The Blonde Beauty was rather conflicted at that moment about what to do. Stay and comfort Riley or go and chase after the Huckleberry? "I think it best you leave him be for now and just go be with your friend." Came the surprise suggestion from Jefferson.

Maya gave him a nod of appreciation and hoped the suggestion would turn out for the best where Lucas was concerned as she went after her hurting best friend. The adults were all unsure of what to do next as none of them had quite ever been in this kind of situation and they could only hope and pray that things would turn out for the better. Topanga was honestly wishing that she and Cory had given Riley a talk about relationships as maybe if they had, this whole situation possibly could have been avoided.

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**Author's Notes: Coming up next time: Maya goes for a little walk herself to track down a certain Mad Dog.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: And here we go with the next chapter! Something that should be a little less angsty then the previous chapter. I once said that I am not Team Lucaya, but I think I lied to myself about that. And while I love the pairing, full on Lucaya or Rucas won't be a thing in this as something like that will take time to resolve. Of course I find Lucaya easier to write than I do Rucas. Anywho... On with the show and a quote for ya! "You wait until Mr. Feeny hears about this!" Cory Matthews to Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World.**

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It'd been three hours since Lucas Friar had limped away and into the outside world after his blow up at the girls and he had yet to be seen or heard from. Something that had made just about everybody aside from the Friars and the Babineaux families worried as they were familiar with how Lucas was when he needed time to cool off and wasn't looking to get into a fight. Both Cory and Shawn were pretty unhappy with the young Friar for how he'd been with the girls but at the same time they could understand it since the both of them would probably react that way too in a situation like that. It was pretty much a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of thing. Cory had long been aware of Lucas' temper thanks to the information that had been sent along his way when the kid had been entered into the New York school system. He'd been understandably worried when Riley had become friends with the kid, which is why he had pretty much wound up being all over protective. Especially in regards to dating!

But the more he saw Lucas around his daughters and Farkle, whom he'd only admit to himself that he saw him like another son, the more he saw that he didn't really have to worry all that much about him with the kids. Young Mr. Friar had also clearly been influenced by the small group, which their presence had considerably helped him out in the early days of his time in New York and the adjusting of the changes he was dealing with. Though the father, husband, and teacher could tell Lucas was playing something of a part that he had wound up falling into after not only his three but the rest of the students in his History class had pretty much saw him a certain way. And he had to wonder how much longer it would be before that part would crumble. Of course when Zay showed up and rocked the boat, that part started to crumble some.

And now it looked like it was crumbling just a bit more thanks to feelings and the like. He should have known Riley would take what Jack and Eric had told her in an entirely different direction where Lucas was concerned, but he and Topanga would have a talk with her very soon that would hopefully help out. And considering he had something of a front row seat and word of mouth from others regarding Lucas and his second daughter that he was proud to share the role of fatherhood with Shawn, Cory was more aware of things between Lucas and Maya than he was letting on and it honestly reminded him of when he used to tease Topanga back when they were kids. He wasn't sure where life would take the kids, especially when it came to relationships, but he could only hope they would be as strong of a group as his had been.

While Shawn didn't really know Lucas all that much, he still wanted to have a word or two with the kid for making his niece cry and getting Maya in something of an awkward situation. Oh he knew he wasn't being very fair to the kid but darn it, he loved those girls! Heck, he wanted to go after the kid with a shovel but had wisely kept that thought to himself since he didn't want Wendy after him! Seeing her with a knife once in the Matthews' kitchen had been more then enough thank you very much! He'd try and have a word with the two girls soon once they were feeling more up to talking and would probably do so when Cory decided it was the right time since he had more experience with the whole thing.

Shawn also had to admire that Zay kid for his ill-advised remark about having missed the whole show since it helped to relieve some of the tension that was being felt in the house. The photographer still couldn't quite come to grips with the fact that Farkle's mother was Jennifer Bassett of all people. But at least Cory wasn't all that intimidated by her anymore so that was something. "Sooo… Sundance not back yet then?" Came the unexpected voice of Maya Hart who Shawn saw was holding a bottle of water.

She was also currently wearing brown boots, blue jeans, and a long sleeved red and black western button up shirt with floral patterns on the black areas of the top with her hair down as was usual for her. Shawn thought she looked rather beautiful in the outfit and wondered if maybe it had something to do with Lucas. Not that he would ask since he wasn't sure he really wanted to know as he felt she was way too young to be dressing up for boys! No doubt she'd have something smart alecky to say if he even said that too. "Nope, sorry kiddo." He finally told her apologetically.

Maya smiled at him and plopped down next to him on the couch in the living room. "Don't be Hunter, I get why he's not back yet. Heck I probably would be taking awhile in his place too."

Course Riley no doubt would have had something to say about that most likely since it was best to hash things out rather than letting it fester. "You got any advice for me?"

Shawn was a little surprised by her unexpected question but happy she asked him none the less. "Considering my past, I would be a hypocrite if I said you were all too young for this kind of thing. But the only thing I can really is to take things one step at a time as rushing it is a bad idea."

She nodded at that in understanding and feeling glad she had asked him for advice after all. "Just don't be surprised if I chase after him with a shovel."

Maya laughed over that one as the image of him doing that was hilarious. "You're a good uncle to Riley."

"Thanks, but I was meaning that more about you." Shawn told her with a smile and causing the girl to feel pretty darn happy that he would be willing to do that for her!

Shawn could tell Maya had been surprised by that before managing to hide it but he wasn't gonna comment on it. Though it did make his heart clench over how she had reacted to something like that and it made him wish that life had been a whole lot better to her in the father department. But at least she had Cory to some extent and now him as well when he was in town but he always be a phone call away if she needed him. Maya wound up surprising him completely when she suddenly hugged him and he was happy to hug her back in return.

"Not that I'm complaining kiddo, but what was that for?"

Looking at him with a smile on her face after pulling out of the hug, she simply told him it was for being such a good person to her. "Hey, where you're concerned, I'm always happy to be there for you in any way you need."

And for Maya, it was really good to hear those words once again from him. As it meant he had no intention of walking out of her life like her own dad had done. "So, wanna help me go search and capture a certain rare Huckleberry? I've heard tell that the rare Huckleberries like to frequent places that do a little Square Dancin'." She had a little Southern accent in her voice when she spoke and a little twinkle in her eyes along with a small smirk and Shawn couldn't help but laugh over the whole thing.

He got why she changed the subject since it was getting a little serious and reaching into territory that likely wasn't his place to be in just yet. "That might be a bad idea since I still wanna chase after him with a shovel." It was Maya's turn to laugh over how serious the man had sounded.

It was then that Pappy Joe came through the living room from the front door and carrying a tool box and some rope with him. Maya got the idea that he might be willing to help her go find the wayward Lucas so that maybe she could talk with him and perhaps apologize for not being more considerate of what he might think of the whole thing between himself, her, and Riley. "Hey Pappy Joe! Was wonderin' if you think you might know where our missing Lucas is?"

"I just might Maya, but I doubt he would appreciate you showin' up after what happened earlier."

"Probably not, but that'll be for me to deal with as he's had plenty of time to cool down." At least she hoped he had calmed down by now.

Pappy Joe sighed as he could tell he wasn't gonna win this with the girl. But at least she was willing to tackle things head on even if it did potentially make things worse. "Let me put this up real quick and then we'll be off." The beaming smile he got from the girl told him he'd just done the right thing.

**Ol' Jack's Youth Center**

Ol' Jack's Youth Center was a place teenagers could go and hang out at when something like Chubbie's wasn't exactly the choice for them if they were in a certain kind of mood. As the Youth Center played more than just Country music there and it was often the better choice over some places youngsters could go. The Center had work out equipment, video games, Rock music playing from the speakers, a snack bar, and vending machines if anything at the snack bar wasn't to their particular liking. There was also an outdoor skate board area for those into that too. And one Lucas Friar could be seen playing a game of Poker with Asher, Dylan, and several other teenagers while Black Stone Cherry's Hell and High Water played from the speakers.

It was to this scene that Maya walked into on her own as Pappy Joe had stayed in the truck per her request. "Hmm… Not bad." She remarked to herself before spotting Lucas and beelining straight towards him.

"Hey there Huckleberry, surprised you're not dancin' up a storm with this good ol' fashioned music!" She told him with a smile as she got to his table.

She got a frown in return when he looked her way while the others just looked on in interest at her unexpected arrival. "What are you doin' here Maya?"

It was Maya's turn to frown over his actions as it hadn't been something she was expecting but probably should have when she thought about it. "First off my dear Sundance, that was rude. Second of all, I came here to find you since we were getting a little worried about ya."

"Even you?" Asked Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

Maya rolled her eyes at him and then grabbed a near by empty chair, pulled it up next to him and sat down in it. "If you have to ask me that question, then you clearly don't know me that well."

He looked suitably chastised after that but before he could say anything, Dylan spoke up. "Whoa! So this is the legendary 'Blonde Beauty'!?" Asher couldn't help but laugh some over how awed looking his friend had gotten just then.

Lucas looked down as he wasn't quite wanting to face Maya then and there, who was no doubt probably smirking at him. Of course she was actually looking quite surprised then anything else. "Ohh… So it wasn't JUST Zay he told that too then huh?" She just might have to give him crap over that just for the heck of it. Though she couldn't help but feel flattered he'd mentioned that to more then just one person. The fact he apparently had done it more then once to earn 'legendary' status was interesting too.

And damn it all if that wasn't making her blush! "You got that right, he talked about all of you, but you more than the others." Asher informed her with a smile on his face while Dylan just nodded his head with a smile of his own.

"Gee, way to make a girl feel special." Remarked Maya to Lucas who still wasn't quite looking at anything but his lap.

If she wasn't feeling flattered and touched before, she definitely was now! And no doubt it made how she felt about him just a bit stronger too. "Yeah… Well… You know..." Tried Lucas only to fail in whatever he was trying to get out.

The Blonde Beauty couldn't help but find it amusing as he'd never quite acted like that before! "Aww, its okay Little Lamb, it'll just be between you and me." The boys snickered over the nick name while Lucas groaned over it.

"I am so much more of a Mad Dog, Penelope!" Whined out the young Friar and making the boys snicker even more.

She shrugged at him and decided not to react to the 'Penelope' thing lest it give some sort of power to be used against her. "Hey, I calls em like I see's em." Little did she know this would give Lucas the idea she was okay with being called her middle name in public now. Which would lead to some great amusement for him whenever she'd get annoyed at him over it.

"Is there really somebody named Farkle?" Dylan asked and both he and Asher were looking pretty darn curious after that.

"Yep, sure is boys. Matter of fact he's back at this here Cowboy's house."

"Oh sweet! Definitely gotta meet him!" Both of the boys and the others were at the table were honestly curious as can be over this Farkle person. As who'd willingly name their kid that!?

If anything, Maya was honestly surprised Lucas wasn't more annoyed with her being there. But for all she knew he was likely trying not to react since he had company with him. But considering he was actually playing their little game told her that maybe he wasn't annoyed or even minding the fact she was there after all. "So is Riley here with you too?" Came the surprising question from Lucas.

"Nope, just me and Pappy Joe who's out in the truck." And if she took note of how relaxed after hearing that? She wasn't gonna say anything.

"Well, well, well… If it isn't Lucas Friar, back from the Big Apple to achieve his life long dream of being the big hero." Came the sarcastic words that instantly had Lucas and the others groaning in annoyance.

Looking up to see where it had come from, Maya saw a fellow teenager with six other guys on either side of him in a mix of blues and blacks. The lead kid was also a little on the chubby side and the artist couldn't help but wonder why none of the others seemed to like having him show up. "Marcus." Responded Lucas with a nod.

Instead of saying anything to him, the newly named Marcus turned his attention on to her and she wasn't liking that much at all. "And who is this babe? I bet she wouldn't mind a tour guide around this city of ours." He gave a wiggle of his eyebrows that implied he was interested in doing a bit more than that.

Maya just looked at him in disgust as he was definitely not her type! "I am SO not interested in you buddy. So move along." She had WAY better taste then that!

"Aww, don't be like that cutie pie. I'm way better people to hang about with then Friar and his bunch is." He told her as he went to reach for her hair to play with it.

Something that was instantly stopped by one very unhappy Lucas Friar who now had a good hold of Marcus' hand. "Hey! Let go before I make you let go Friar!" Threatened the boy while his friends cracked their knuckles and making the ones sitting down look at one another in slight worry but willing to do what they had too if it came down to it.

"The lady is clearly not interested in what you're sellin' so I suggest that _you_ back off."

Now Maya could handle herself perfectly well and the Huckleberry knew it too, but seeing him get all fired up like this was really nice to see since it wasn't often he got like this. It was a side of him she liked! And while she wasn't looking to get him all kinds of angry, she wanted him to get even wilder with her in their little game since it would mean she was winning if he was resorting to that. A part of her was wondering if he was wanting to do it but hadn't cause of who he was trying to be since coming to New York. Though since Zay's arrival, that was failing more and more and she didn't mind it one bit since it meant he was being himself. "And if I don't back off?"

Lucas leaned closely into his face while stll having a very firm grip on his hand. "I ain't gone soft since I left for New York, Marcus."

Marcus huffed at him as he didn't quite believe that. "Yeah, whatever you say."

"I'm perfectly willin' ta make ya fade to black all over again. And this time I won't even hafta worry 'bout gettin' expelled."

 _Ohh damn! Texas!Lucas is coming!_ The fact he had gone all deep South while giving his threat had made for a very excited Maya!

It was a very intense stand off between the two for several minutes as everyone else in the building was looking at the scene going on. "Fine." Muttered Marcus.

"I got better things to do anyway." He added with a sneer and Maya gave him a look that implied what she thought of him.

Lucas let go of his hand and Marcus and his bunch walked off with their tails in between their legs. "Oooh..." Went Maya with a shudder that was no where close to having a feeling of annoyance in it.

Her Huckleberry looked at her in surprise before smirking and feeling pleased as can be with himself. His friends had all let out sighs of relief as everybody else in the Youth Center went back to what they were doing. "So… Would this be a first date between us?"

The unexpected question caught Maya by complete surprise and she oh so wanted to wipe that smirk off his face! "Pfft! In your dreams Huckleberry!" Replied the girl as she pushed him away from her, not that it did any good. Damn Horse like strength! But a part of her wouldn't have minded it! Although, maybe without the near fight. It did however give her a crazy idea about her and the Huckleberry going to bars when they were older and having bar brawls for the heck of it.

She idly wondered what he might think of that idea and it would never ever be mentioned in front of Riley either! Lucas only laughed as he sat back down and asked if she wanted to join in on the very low stakes Poker game. Surprised, she agreed and was dealt in and Lucas had been more than happy enough to teach her how to play the game. Maya would make sure to text Pappy Joe it'd be awhile and he was nicely enough okay with it. And that he'd just be a text or phone call away when they were ready to head on back to the house. It'd be a pretty fun night for the Blonde Beauty as she got to really enjoy just being around Lucas with out none of their friends from back home being around.

Getting to know his Texan friends had been great as well for her as they were able to tell some pretty embarrassing stories about the guy! The stern looks the two would get from their parents and from Riley when they got home would be totally worth it in their view as well. Maya would find it pretty amusing too when Mr. Matthews and Shawn sat Lucas down to have a very important talk with him. Especially with how worried looking the guy got! Mr. Friar and Pappy Joe were also equally amused by the whole thing too thanks to the fact the two men were being a bit ridiculous in how they were acting towards him. Things wouldn't exactly be resolved just yet between Riley, Lucas, and Maya but apologies had been given for how things had been handled.

Everyone could only hope that nothing else as crazy would happen while at the Friar Ranch despite the fact things hadn't been resolved. But that was clearly a situation that would take some time before it did get resolved and could have a broken heart in the mix no matter the outcome.

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**Author's Notes: Heh, I could picture Lucas and Maya going and doing something like bar brawling at bars and the like and Riley being disapproving as Hell! Smackle and Farkle thinking them nuts and Zay being bummed out that he missed another bar brawl or two. That'd be fun to explore in a one-shot too! The story ain't over yet folks! For its time for a little Turkey! Hopefully I handled things between Maya and Lucas pretty well too in this chapter. Watch the sequel I plan to do wind up being finished in January o.0. Anywho… R and R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I may not own what you see here, but I do finally own a new 3DS charger once again! Now… On with the show!**

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**Thursday, November 26th, 2015 Turkey Day**

Wednesday had passed peacefully enough despite the tension of unresolved issues between Lucas, Riley, and Maya. That day had also seen everybody but Pappy Joe and Auggie go out for some fun at Chubbie's later that night and it had definitely proven to be an interesting experience for Cory, Shawn, and Topanga considering the years spent at the Chubbie's in Philly. Farkle and his dad wound up having a contest to see who could eat the most BBQ and even though the boy genius didn't mention it to anybody, he had been envisioning that night's BBQ as having come from Cain The Bull. Jennifer had been pretty amused by the whole thing and wound up in a contest of her own with Shawn who didn't think she'd be willing to get that messy just to prove she was quite willing. Girl Power had been in full effect during that moment and the photographer ended up losing to her in the end, something she promised to hold over his head for years to come.

A local Austin band had been playing most of the night and it had wound up reminding Cory and Shawn of the time they had foolishly tried to impress a few girls back in the early days of high school when they had wrongly assumed the boys were in a band. That had been a story everybody had found amusing and Riley had made a joke that Maya and Lucas could probably have a band of their own considering their skills. Something Cory couldn't help but agree with and it led to the teenagers having a debate about what to name the two person band that ultimately ended with Maya and Lucas bickering with one another over the first album's name. The Blonde Beauty had been leaning heavily towards 'Huckleberry Tales' while Lucas was going for something more simple like 'That Sweet Old Life'.

Their bickering over the album name had made for amusement and eye rolls considering how the two were acting towards one another and Riley couldn't help but feel some slight hurt over the fact her crush had never really acted like that with her. The fact he seemed more at ease with Maya was something else too and the talk she'd had the previous day with her mother and the other moms came to her mind, along with the talk she had earlier in the day wit hher mom and dad that not everyone had what they had. That they were a rare thing to occur and even apologized for having given her an idealized view on relationships. It was something she was going to need time to deal with after having grown up with that view in mind. And while she had this image of Lucas in her mind, she knew it wasn't the real thing when it came to him.

His temper was something that honestly scared her and it made her wonder how Maya was able to handle something like that, even as a fierce amazon warrior. And it was probably one of the things that had attracted the former Texan native to the blonde. At least he hadn't really gone way off on her for how she had acted after Zay had shown up, which was obviously a sign he was trying to be better then as an angry kid. His mentioning of how he had felt over that had come to mind as well for the brunette and the way it had made her feel. Something she didn't quite want to feel again anytime soon either. Her best friend's intervention that day as with the cafeteria had been a good thing since it kept things from getting really out of hand.

Meeting Dylan and Asher had been interesting as well for the brunette and the two boys, along with Zay, had taken great delight in telling embarrassing stories about their best friend. Which gave Maya plenty of ammo for future use if the grin she had on her face was anything to go by. Riley could tell though that they had gone out of their way not to mention anything really bad and it was probably from Lucas asking them not to. Riley wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that as on one hand she was glad to not as she really didn't want to see him all that differently. But on the other hand, a part of her did want to know in order to see where it would take her and her feelings. But she could wait until her friend felt comfortable enough to tell her and the others something that serious though since it wasn't really any of her business unless he wanted it to be.

After getting back to the Friar Ranch and seeing Pappy Joe still on the porch in that old rocking chair and talking with Mr. McCullough while Auggie and Timmy were elsewhere in the house becoming bros. The ladies had all decided to get a start on early preparations for Thanksgiving dinner and it had been honestly quite a lot of fun for Riley and even Maya when she got talked into it. The fun would continue once they had woken up on Thursday to really get things going and it had been amusing for Riley to see the men getting shooed out of the kitchen anytime they tried to come in to sneak a little bit of the food when whatever they were watching wasn't keeping them occupied enough. Zay and his family had pretty much split their time with them and with their own family that was in Texas as well. And in Riley's opinion, she found it really sweet that Dylan and Asher had taken to Farkle like he'd long been one of the boys.

Something she knew her genius friend had honestly appreciated a great deal. Those two had also gotten a kick out of hearing the Cain The Bull story and all that had happened with it. Maya would even have a little fun at the expense of Lucas and Farkle since Zay had been in the bathroom at the time when she did the 'moo' thing right behind the two boys and giving Asher and Dylan the best entertainment they'd had in some time. Riley had wanted to say something to Maya about that but had let it go and had even gotten some amusement of her own when Farkle and Lucas decided to go Batman and Mad Dog on her sister and chased her out of the house. Which Farkle was able to keep up better then what Lucas had been able too considering his leg. The Mayor of Rileyville would even get in on the fun when she grabbed a bucket, filled it with water, and threw it at her two male friends after Maya ran by her.

Her artistic friend had gotten a good laugh out of that too and it had resulted in her getting chased around alongside Maya. The whole thing had been captured on camera by Shawn as well so that the four could look back on it fondly anytime they wanted. And finally, when 6:00 PM had rolled around, it was finally time for Thanskgiving dinner and it was a good thing too considering how hungry she and her friends had been by that point. Zay would even get permission to sit in on that with them instead of with his family and had joked that the bucket of water was a good move that the two boys had definitely deserved. Making for a most happy Riley in the process as well. She did tell him she could throw water at him if he wanted so as not to be left out but Zay laughed it off and told her he was good.

Unfortunately for him however, it gave her and Maya the fun idea of doing it anyway as soon as they got the chance to do so. Thankfully Zay had competely missed the smile the two girls had in one another's direction when they were brain storming how to do it in quiet voices. It was agreed on to have the dinner out in the front yard since it was pretty nice out weather wise and lights and a party tent had been set up for the whole group to be under at the big table that had also been put together with Pappy Joe at one end of it with Jefferson and Wendy on each side of him at the table. And once things had been set up and was ready to go, Pappy Joe started things off with a heartfelt prayer.

On Wendy's side of the table, she held hands with Riley, who held hands with Lucas, who held hands with Maya, who held hands with Shawn, who held hands with her mother, who held Farkle's hand. While on Jefferson's side, he held Topanga's hand, who held Auggie's hand, who held his dad's hand, who held Zay's, who held Farkle's hand and finding himself wishing it was Vanessa's instead, who held his dad's hand. "And in so saying once again, we thank you fer this rare opportunity to be with friends and family as we sit down to enjoy this Thanksgiving meal. Amen."

Amens could be heard from everyone after that. Cory stood up suddenly afterwards with a smile on his face and it made everyone wonder what he was up too. "I just want to say thank you to Pappy Joe for allowing us into his home for this year's Thanksgiving despite it not being the original intention at first. I also want to say how thankful I am to have all of you in my life."

He sat down after that and Topanga leaned over their son with a big smile and kissed her husband on the cheek. Riley beamed at her dad's words and was surprised when Maya stood up after that. "Um… I know this is probably a surprise for some of you and I know I don't always show my appreciation for having you guys in my life. But… I do appreciate and love that I have you all, old and new around in mine and my mom's life. I honestly don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for all of you."

Pausing for a moment as she looked around at the gathered group of friends and family who were smiling at her and some having proud looks in their eyes, she then turned her attention to Pappy Joe. "I know I didn't exactly agree all that well to how things were handled with Lucas with Tombstone and all, something I still don't quite agree with but I'm not going there right now, and also handled it poorly to an extent. But despite that… I think you're a really good man who's even willing to be my own personal Pappy Joe as much as he is his grandson's. You don't know how much that means to me."

Pappy Joe himself was looking suspiciously misty eyed when the girl had gotten rolling with her words and Jefferson couldn't quite ever remember seeing something like that before. Not even when his mother had died of a heart attack. _He might not want to admit it, but that girl has him wrapped around her finger._ The thought made him smirk and he would definitely use that against his dad the next time they wound up arguing about something. If only to see how he would react.

Maya walked up to Pappy Joe, who had stood up as well and she embraced him. Something he was surprised but happy about and embraced her back. "I'm just a phone call away if you ever need to talk." He whispered into her ear and getting a whispered but heartfelt thank you in return.

The table erupted into cheers and clapping over the scene and Katy couldn't help the tears of happiness that started up. Shawn was quick to wrap an arm around the blonde woman while smiling right at her. Something the mother loved quite a lot. Riley, unable to contain herself, let out a loud excited yay, causing for some amusement to happen over how happy she sounded. "Hey Honey, get over here and help me hug this old timer." Called out Maya and making Pappy Joe laugh.

Riley happily did so and Shawn was quick to snap a picture of it with his phone since he had left his camera in the mobile trailer. "You gonna join us Lucas?" Asked Riley a few seconds later but he only shook his head in response.

"Nah, that's y'alls moment." He told her with a smile.

After things eventually settled down and the three sat back down in their chairs, the excellent task of turkey eating and the like began. It'd certainly be another moment to remember for years to come for everyone there. Afterwards, Zay would head over to where his parents were while calling up Vanessa to wish her a happy Thanksgiving and Auggie would also make a call of his own to do the same with Ava. Leading to an interesting moment sometime later for Pappy Joe when he went past the boy on his way to the kitchen with a few dishes for those who had volunteered to clean them up. "Ava! How can you make that claim!? There is no other girl for me but you."

Pappy Joe had completely stopped in his tracks over that and gave the kid a look as he watched the one sided conversation. "I haven't even gone anywhere since I got here! Met a bunch of adults and a bro named Timmy but that's it. I swear."

"Of course I told him that I have a girl and that I don't need to meet any Texan girls! What kind of boyfriend do you take me for?"

The older man would have raised a finger while he opened his mouth, but considering his hands were full at that moment, he settled for an open mouth as he tried to work out what he was going to say. But unfortunately coming up with nothing. It was at that point Riley came in from the kitchen as she'd volunteered to help out with cleaning up the dishes while Maya went off to do whatever she was keeping hush hush in their room. Though she had a feeling it was something art related considering her art supplies could be seen left out in various places and had respected her best friend's wish for privacy. "Hey Pappy Joe! Need some help with those dishes?"

He turned to her with a slightly bewildered look on his face that had her concerned pretty quickly. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, he merely pointed at her little brother who was still trying to convince Ava he wasn't doing anything he shouldn't be doing since he was her Auggie Doggie only. Riley couldn't help the smile on her face over the sight. "Now pardon me as its likely not my place, but ain't he a little young fer that sort of thing?"

As really, having fun where ever you find it is the main thing to do til the right woman finally shows up and hog ties ya to her! "We Matthews' tend to find love a little early. Although, Auggie and I have this idealized view of relationships thanks to our parents' relationship. One we're slowly breaking away from." Well, she was going to start doing so anyway. Her little brother on the other hand would probably take awhile despite the incident from last year when he thought Ava was done with him for good.

"So you ain't worried about that?" He'd still bring it up with the parents just to be on the safe side however.

"Nah, besides, they are really cute together." Okay, so even Riley herself thought the little girl was kind of bratty and she hated to think badly of anyone but she couldn't help it!

"Huh." Pappy Joe kind of doubted that considering how the kid was having to defend himself so darned much but decided to move on.

"Well anyhow, let's get these dished worshed up since they aren't gonna get themselves cleaned up."

Riley smiled at him and held the door open for the older man. Later on after the clean up was done, the teenagers and the adults minus Pappy Joe went out to have a campfire that thankfully had no drama to go along with it. Even Zay, his parents, and Vanessa were part of the fun. The campfire would prove to be another wonderful memory that was even captured on film and pictures by Riley and Shawn and it'd give Maya another project to work on due to how inspiring the whole thing was. And quite a few were thinking along similar lines about why they should even bother leaving Austin, Texas if it was this great. Farkle especially wanted to stay primarily because of the great BBQ but the lack of Isadora Smackle was the only thing bad about the place for him.

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**Author's Notes: And there we have it folks! One more chapter and this will be completed! Hope you all will have enjoyed it quite a bit! And for anyone who may have been confused when I said there would be a lack of full on Lucaya or Rucas in this, I meant as in a relationship being started. R and R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Here we are folks, the final chapter of Wild Times In Texas. Big thanks to everybody who has reviewed, favorited, and followed! As for the quest who asked me why this is ending, well it can't go on forever now can it? But don't worry, I have a sequel coming soon and afterwards I'm thinking of doing a full on story that spans years (high school and college primarily) after the season ends that's set after the sequel for this story. Anywho.. One with the show!**

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**Sunday, November 29th, 2015 11:40 AM at the Friar Ranch**

Sunday arrived and it was time for Riley and everybody else to head on back to New York and more than one person was sad about that. Cory, Riley, Topanga, and Auggie would be taking the train back while Katy, Shawn, and Maya would be going in the truck with the mobile trailer. Lucas and his parents would be going back by car and the Babineaux's had already left earlier that morning after a quick stop by Vanessa's so that Zay could see her before leaving. Lucas and Pappy Joe had gone out about two hours ago to spend a little more time together as well since it would likely be awhile before Lucas would get to see him again. Friday and Saturday had seen everybody making the most of the time they had left and it had all proven to be very enjoyable for everyone. Even Pappy Joe, McCullough Sr., his grandson Timmy, Cletus, Dylan, Asher, and Vanessa had even gotten in on the fun as well.

Vanessa, true to her word had told many a story about Zay and even a few about Lucas with some tidbits thrown in from Dylan and Asher while Lucas and Zay were too embarrassed by the whole thing to really say anything. Riley and Maya had ate it all up with one loving it more than the other considering some of what Riley had heard was things she didn't necessarily like since it had involved Lucas doing some bad things. For Farkle, it left the young genius wishing he had been there for all of it and when Zay noticed how down he was looking instantly realized what was going on. And made sure to remind his friend that he had been there for it all as he had told the genius on the day Lucas had won the trophy for riding Tombstone the Bull for four seconds. Something Farkle had appreciated greatly and even Dylan, Asher, and Lucas said the same thing.

They had even offered to help Farkle find some trouble of his own to get into that would cement what they said but in the end they had gone fishing since trouble wasn't something he was looking to do. The genius would even get to learn how to skin fish from Pappy Joe and McCullough Sr. much to the disgust of Riley, Maya, Auggie, Topanga, Cory, Katy, Stuart, and Shawn. They'd later learn that Farkle had been counting prime numbers in his head in an attempt to keep from getting sick himself over the skinning until after it was done. Something he admitted that nearly hadn't worked much to Maya's amusement. A group photo had been taken on Pappy Joe's porch Saturday night around eleven before Lucas and Zay's friends had gone home and the New York bunch started to get ready for bed.

And once Lucas and Pappy Joe got back, the older man had gathered the four teens together and told the New Yorkers that if they wanted, they were welcome to come and spend the Summer there in Austin. Lucas was especially happy about the idea and it showed and Pappy Joe would go on to say that he would love to continue Farkle's education in the ways of the Cowboy life. Something the genius could get behind since he did like it quite a bit but made no promises since he wasn't sure what his parents would want to do during the Summer. Maya actually liked the idea of coming back since she privately liked the outfits Texas has. The fact a certain Huckleberry hadn't taken his eyes off her since seeing her wasn't lost on her either. As she'd been wearing a multi-colored Chevron print cowl neck with long sleeves and a black belt with brown boots with her hair in a ponytail.

While Riley had opted to wear blue jeans with black boots, and a pink long sleeved button up shirt with white floral print and rhinestones on it. Something that had also caught Lucas' eye and if Maya wasn't mistaken, Farkle's too. And once everyone had gotten ready to leave, Maya had disappeared back into the house much to everyone else's confusion but was soon back outside and carrying something rather big. Something Riley had a good idea about what it was but was really curious about what her best friend and sister in all but blood had created. "Pappy Joe, I think you're gonna like this." Remarked Lucas as the Blonde Beauty came up to them with a smile on her face.

As any painting of hers was always a sight to behold in his opinion. And he knew full well that everybody else who'd seen her work agreed with that. For Wendy, Jefferson, Stuart, Jennifer, and Shawn, this would be a first time experience for them. "Well whatcha got there lil' lady?" Asked Pappy Joe with a smile in Maya's direction.

"This is a little something I made in honor of you."

That made the older man pretty darn curious and he couldn't wait to see what she had made. Handing it to him without a word, he looked at her for a moment before turning it over and was pretty much taken aback in amazement by what she had made. "Good gravy and bacon! You made this Maya!?"

He turned it around so that everyone could see and they were all amazed by it. For Shawn, seeing just how well Maya could create stunned him as she hadn't realized just how talented she truly was. _This girl is gonna take the art world by storm and I can't wait to see that._ Thought the man to himself with a smile.

Katy was proud as can be of her baby girl and the talent she has and hoped she wouldn't ever turn away from it like the Clutterbucket side of the family would most likely do since most of them had a history of quitting before even really truly beginning. For the Minkus clan, Stuart and Jennifer had the shared thought with but a look at one another that they would be very willing to buy any artwork the blonde did if that was the kind of work she was capable of. Farkle, Lucas, and the Matthews' were all very proud of Maya for creating such a great piece of work and would definitely keep encouraging her to keep practicing her skills in art. Jefferson whistled at the work while Wendy had a big beaming smile on her face. "Damn girl, that's some amazing work." Said Jefferson and no one else could disagree with that.

The painting in question was of Pappy Joe facing a Bull head on by grabbing it by the horns with a big smile on his face. For Maya, it signified the older man's speech about grabbing life by the horns as it runs harder then any Bull and riding your fears before they ride you. The older man's eyes were suspiciously watery looking but nobody said anything and he handed it over to Lucas and quickly enveloped Maya in a hug that she quickly returned. Shawn was quick to take a photo of the scene too as he figured Maya would love to have it to be forever reminded of. Pulling out of the hug, Pappy Joe placed his hands on her shoulders and looked right into her eyes with a proud smile on his face. "No matter what happens in life, you are ALWAYS welcome here Maya. And as I said before, I'd consider it an honor to be your Pappy Joe for as long as I live."

His words had made the girl who considered herself as broken to tear up and hugged him again. "Thank you Pappy Joe, thank you." She told him in heartfelt sincerity that had more than one person there tearing up over the beautiful scene in front of them.

And after what seemed like forever, the two parted and the older man told Maya he'd hang it up in the best place possible in his house. Something she loved knowing and showed it by giving him another hug. Afterwards, he'd hug Riley and Farkle while Lucas handed the painting to Maya and after he and Lucas pulled away from their hug, he kept a hold of the young man by his shoulders. "Lucas, make no mistake about it, I love you and I am sorry fer makin' things worse on ya by puttin' so much pressure on ya."

Wendy had had a long talk with him and Jefferson over the whole thing and her husband had finally even gotten an 'I love you' from his father as well during it. The talk had helped to show both men that things had been really handled wrong where Lucas was concerned. But it wasn't too late to change that and both promised to try and make things better. Though Jefferson admitted it wouldn't exactly be easy for him considering how much of a hard ass he could be but Wendy simply had said that at least he would try and that's all that counted. "We all do things we think is right even if its really wrong Pappy Joe. But its all in the past now as far as I'm concerned."

He got hugged again for that before the group finally had to get going and Maya handed Pappy Joe back the painting and got a one armed hug from him before joining her mom and Shawn in the truck as she wiped away tears. Pappy Joe stood where he was as he watched them all leave while wishing that they didn't have too. As he made his way back inside the house once he could longer see them, he thought to himself that he could go on to his final adventure after having gotten such a great memory. But it wasn't his time yet and he hoped it wouldn't be for a long time to come. Preferably a few years after his grandson and his little artist had a few kids for him to spoil. _Heh, ol' Wendy would probably hit me upside the head fer thoughts like that._ But it'd be worth it since he knew his daughter in law was pretty darn fond of Maya as it is.

Pappy Joe couldn't wait to see what happened next with those kids and he truly hoped the best for his grandson as he went into the world.

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**Author's Notes: May there have been much enjoyment of this final chapter!  The painting was something I'd long been looking forward to writing about after I thought about it. Once again, many thanks for all the support of this story! Cavenders is also a great site for Cowgirl outfits.**


	11. Christmas Time in Philly!

**Disclaimer: And here we are boys and girls! Because of how things have gone on in Texas, the events of Texas part 3 will not be seen here. Oh yeah, I also own nothing but what you see here. With that out of the way, let's get this show started! Whoo!**

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**Friday, December 18** **th** **, 2015 8:45 PM** **in Philadelphia**

Life had proven to be quite the interesting experience for the High Five in the weeks since coming back from Texas, in which Lucas Friar had rode Tombstone the Bull for four seconds, saw Zay finally get a chance with Vanessa, learned Maya liked him, had one of the most bizarre experiences alongside Farkle and Zay after trying to catch Cain The Bull, told the girls off for not giving him much of a say, had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, and saw his Pappy Joe tear up after Maya had given him a painting she made of him. Lucas and Maya would get a bit closer to one another in the days leading up to Christmas break despite Maya trying to not let it happen since she was well aware of Riley's real feelings towards the Huckleberry. Though she and her best friend were a bit more considerate of Lucas and anything he had to say after his telling them off. But about a week after their return from Texas, Charlie Gardner had waltzed back into their lives after Zay 'Blabbermouth' Babineaux had said something to him about Riley.

Though he wasn't around all that much after Riley telling him that things just weren't in a good way for her to be really agreeing to want to go on a date with him. Luckily he was understanding enough of the situation and gave her some space but did hang around with her from time to time. Something Riley would only admit to herself that she liked the amount of attention he put on her and Zay was of the opinion that both Farkle and Lucas wasn't really liking Charlie hanging around the bubbly brunette all that much. Though he had yet to say anything of that view point since he figured that would just cause issues and had no desire to get freaked out by a 'moo' from either of the girls. There was also a rumor claiming Charlie was trying to start trouble with Lucas and Farkle over Riley but so far those involved had denied it.

Lucas and Farkle's injuries had gotten a few curious looks and Zay had been all too willing to tell the tale of what had happened and getting himself a few glares in the process from the other two boys. Yogi had made the remark that Zay must have had some freaky luck to get out of that whole mess with out getting injured. Zay's remark about Soul Power being the reason behind it had earned him a few groans and eyerolls. Isadora Smackle had also given Farkle and Lucas an earful over the whole Cain incident as well and much to the young Friar's exasperation had insinuated it had been a plan of his to remove her boyfriend from the equation so that he would be in a prime position to be her new boyfriend.

Something he vehemently denied and wound up in a fake court session over the whole thing with Maya as the judge and Riley as his lawyer. Unfortunately for the Huckleberry, the jury was an all girl one that was heavily sympathetic to Isadora and Zay was absolutely no help as he couldn't help but find the whole situation to be funny as Hell. Back Seat Brenda would somehow wind up being Farkle and Smackle's lawyer in the whole thing as well.

The whole thing had been done in the school gymnasium with a few props set up to help give it a courtroom feel and Lucas had wondered if Mrs. Matthews had somehow been involved in the whole thing too. But she'd deny any involvement and his own mother found the whole thing to be funny as well. Mr. Matthews had tried to help him until Mr. Turner and Harper intervened and said it was a learning experience for Lucas to have. In the end, Lucas lost the case and had to pretty much do whatever Smackle wanted for three days. Thankfully that was the extent of it as he wasn't sure he'd been able to handle anything else. As it is, things were still somewhat awkward for Lucas and the two girls and the last thing he even wanted to do was cause the two to have issues with one another over him.

Farkle had filled him in on what had happened last year and something like that happening again scared the young Friar a lot. Especially if it was a whole lot worse then the first time. And currently, Lucas and his momma were on their way to Riley's grandparents in Philidelphia after having been invited earlier in the week by Riley's family. It was only him and his momma due to the fact his dad couldn't get out of work and Pappy Joe was unable to make it due to the weather making travel by train to be a little worrisome. The Babineauxs had opted to stay in New York for Christmas and Farkle and his parents were also coming to Philly as well since Mr. and Mrs. Minkus' families were also in the area. The young Huckleberry had to admit however that since getting back from Texas, things with his dad had actually improved a bit.

Which was pretty nice but there was always room for improvement in that area but he knew it would only come in time as it couldn't be rushed. Maya, her momma, and Gammy were also coming too but Lucas wasn't sure if Mr. Hunter was going to be there for the occasion due to his job and all a certain Shortstack of Pancakes would say is that he'd just need to wait and see. Something that made him roll his eyes since she was proving to be a little difficult about giving a simple answer but knew it was just her playing their little game despite the way things were currently. And while he was excited about being in Philadelphia for Christmas and getting to meet Riley's grandparents and this legendary Mr. Feeny person, he was also a bit apprehensive about it as he knew Josh 'Uncle Boing' Matthews was going to be there too.

Maya's not so secret crush on the guy would no doubt make an appearance and who knows what the guy might think now in regards to him and Maya. The whole thing just bothered him more than he cared to admit but so far had yet to say anything on it. Heck, he knew Josh was a nice fella so at least Maya would be okay with him if anything happened between the two. An idea he still hated regardless. "Hmm.. I haven't been to this house in years." Remarked his momma and breaking him out of his thoughts.

Which helped him to remember the fact that his momma's family was also in Philadelphia and no doubt he would be around them at some point too during the stay here for Christmas. Lucas wasn't exactly looking forward to that due to the whole pinching of the cheeks and the ladies of the house trying to pass on crazy ideas of love and the like to him. They pulled up next to the sidewalk of a two story house that looked pretty homely and Lucas had the feeling Mr. Matthews had a lot of great memories of this place growing up. "Looks nice momma, even with all the snow all over it."

"The Matthews are a very warm bunch of folks who are always willing to welcome people into their home. Its how Cory turned out to be such a wonderful person due to that and Mr. Feeny living next door to him helped with that too."

Lucas couldn't really imagine how that could have worked out like it had with a teacher living next to a student. Though he doubted this Mr. Feeny had taken hold of any boots with no intention of returning them. Of course had he known it was Riley who was keeping them instead of her dad he would have done gotten them back by now. Once the car was turned off, they got out just as Riley, her parents, Auggie, and the Harts were getting out of their vehicles as well. And many of them were thanking their lucky stars it wasn't seriously cold at that moment. "Hey, it looks like Eric's already here." Commented Mr. Matthews as they made their way to the front door.

"And probably doing something that's bound to get on Mr. Feeny's nerves too if he hasn't already." Joked Mrs. Matthews with a smile.

"I would have thought he'd still be in New York taking of senatorial business." Remarked Katy as the front door opened and Joshua Matthews stood in the door way with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

Though more than one person thought he was looking somewhat pale too for some reason. Something that had both Cory and Topanga worried considering Josh's preemie status as a baby. "Well Uncle Eric made it clear that family at this time of the year was especially important to be with instead of working." Supplied Riley as she watched in amusement as Maya rushed to her uncle and hugged him.

"You just keep getting even more gorgeous every time I see you Maya." Commented the young man and actually causing the blonde to blush, much to Lucas' shock.

"Aww, you know just the right thing to say to get to a girl's heart Uncle Boing." She told him with a flirty little smile as they all started to come inside.

A certain Huckleberry felt a spike of jealousy hit him and he did what he could to squash it. "Better than the wrong thing am I right?"

"Oh definitely, as that would be a total buzzkill."

Cory cleared his throat to get their attention. "If you two could pause the whole flirting thing for a minute or forever that would be greatly appreciated!" As Maya was like a daughter to him for cryin' out loud!

Both Maya and Josh rolled their eyes at the man and then the youngest Matthews child of Alan and Amy suddenly sneezed. "Gesundheit."

"Thanks!" Replied Uncle Boing to Riley with a slight groan as he hated sneezing.

"Hey ma! Cory and friends are here!"

Looking back at his brother, the two got big smiles on their faces a few seconds later. "My brotha!"

Josh repeated his older brother's words before the two hugged, making for many of the gathered crowd to smile at the sight. Amy soon made her appearance and started hugging the group starting with Cory. "Oh I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

"I just want to say thank you for inviting us." Katy said appreciatively.

"Of course! You're practically family after all."

Both Katy and Maya appreciated that a lot and Gammy felt thankful to the woman for being so welcoming. Amy then got a hug from Maya that she quickly returned quite happily. "Look at you sweetheart, I just bet you and Riley have all the boys back in New York wanting to take you out on dates."

"Hey, I can't blame em for that." Added Josh with a smile directed to Maya and making her blush once again for a certain Friar to feel a surge of jealousy again while Riley smiled at the compliments.

"If they are, they sure aren't sayin' much."

A glare towards Lucas made him wonder why she was giving him that as its not like it was his fault! "Hey don't glare at me! Its not my fault none of the boys at school are askin' you or Riley out aside from Farkle and Charlie."

"And I am very, very thankful for that let me you." Added in Cory and getting a swat on the chest from his wife over it.

"Those guys don't know what they are missin' then." Josh said with a smile.

"Thank you Uncle Josh." Rold told him appreciatively.

"Any-achoo! Time."

A few looks were exchanged over that and it was something Josh didn't exactly care for. "Hey! Quit with the looks alright? Its just a few sneezes, nothin' to worry about."

"Good, cause you and I have a whole lot of fun to do." Auggie told him in a no nonsense tone of voice.

Josh smiled at him and got down on his knees and high fived Auggie. "Of course little buddy!" Maya smiled at the sight as ahe loved seeing the two interact and Katy couldn't help but notice the smile herself.

 _I think my son has some competition for little Maya's heart. I just hope he doesn't do somethin' rash over it._ Thought Lucas' mother somewhat worriedly.

"Hey, so where's grandpa?" Asked Riley since she hadn't seen him just yet.

"Oh he's out back keeping George from killing Eric." Amy told her with a roll of her eyes and a fond smile on her face.

To be honest, she and her husband were still highly shocked that their oldest son was now the senator of New York. George nearly ran off to Canada until his wife had been able to talk him out of it despite his wild theories that it was just one step away from the younger man ruling the entire country. But never the less, the three were highly proud of Eric for coming as far as he had. And as if on cue, Eric himself walked into the living room tangled in Christmas lights and looking like he'd been electrocuted and thrown into some trash! Jack and TJ were following along behind him to make sure he'd be okay but Jack couldn't help the huge smile on his face.

"Just like old times."

"Oh yes, very much so." Muttered the frazzled Senator as they went towards the stairs while everyone else watched on in shock and amusement.

"Its comforting to know Eric is still that eccentric." Commented Wendy with a smile as tales of him were of quite a legendary status.

No one was quite sure what else the week up to Christmas would bring them, but if Eric was a small taste of it, they couldn't wait for more. Cory and Lucas would head outside to see if they could help any after insisting Josh stayed inside so as to not potentially make his sneezing become more of an issue. Maya promising to make sure he was taken care of bothered Lucas but he kept quiet even if the smile Riley's uncle had towards the girl was something he wanted to wipe off from his face. Young Lucas Friar just hoped he'd be able to get through all this without causing a big ol' scene. While the two fellas did that, the ladies would get things ready for a late dinner.

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**Author's Notes: May you all have enjoyed this!**


	12. Moment in the Kitchen

**Disclaimer:As always I own nothing but what you see here. Now, let's roll on!**

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**Saturday, December 19th, 2015 9:46 AM in the Matthews Kitchen**

After a well made dinner that allowed for Lucas to actually meet the legendary George Feeny and wish he had been taught by the man. Seeing his interactions with everybody in the house had truly been a sight to behold and he had practically welcomed him and his momma with open arms. It was like Mr. Feeny was a great grandfather to everybody in that room and it was just amazing to witness. It was clear to see the older man's influence on Mr. Matthews and his way of teaching and actually caring as much as he did for his students. But soon, it was time for Lucas and his momma to head over to her family's place and the Huckleberry was somewhat relieved by that since it would mean he didn't have to watch a certain Blonde Beauty act so nutty around Riley's uncle Josh. Though he definitely didn't miss the worried looks Riley's parents and grandparents exchanged anytime the boy sneezed and it made him wonder why they seemed so worried about it.

Once Wendy and Lucas had left for her family's house, the girls plus Amy and George's wife Lila decided to have a sleep over in Morgan's old bedroom while leaving all the boys downstairs in the living room to their own devices. Josh had soon gone up to his room as he'd been feeling pretty tired much to a sleepy Auggie's disappointment. But a promise to have some fun with him very soon made for a not as disappointed Auggie nicely enough. Alan had thought it weird since his youngest liked to stay up as late as he could when given the chance too, though with the sneezing he had done quite a few times it had left him thinking that may have something to do with it.

For George Feeny, life long neighbor, friend, and teacher of the Matthews children aside from Morgan, Joshua, Auggie, and Riley, the chance he had to spend with the Matthews men, along with TJ and Jack had been a very enjoyable time for him. Though he had wished Shawn was there to take part in it and hoped to see the young man during Christmas as he had a gift in mind for his former students that he wanted to give them. He could honestly say that young Maya Hart reminded him of Shawn as well and it had greatly intrigued him to know that the young girl saw the man as an important figure in her life. Something he had asked young Cory about during the night and learned more then he expected but was pleased to learn that his former student pretty much saw the young Hart as another daughter to him.

The fact young Shawn may likely be viewing her in the same light the more he spent time with her was another pleasant fact to learn of. And it made him wonder what life may have been like had Mr. Hunter actually been her true father instead of the man who left two precious jewels behind. Mr. Feeny truly hoped the best for Mr. Hunter and the Hart ladies as happiness, hope, and love were great things to have. To also learn that the young Hart was something of a talented artist and the clear pride in young Cory's voice also captured his interest and couldn't wait to see about the potential chance of seeing some of that talent for himself as a picture of it was one thing but actually seeing it in person was another.

Seeing Ms. Jansen, or Mrs. Friar as she was known now had been another unexpected treat for the older man. As while he hadn't had a great deal of interaction with the girl during her high school years, he had been aware of how bright the girl truly was. George was also aware of the fact she played a key role in young Cory's life on the path to learning and meeting the world. Meeting her son had also been a privilege and it honestly made him wish he wasn't semi-retired as he would love the chance to help mold that young man's minds. Along with the young minds of the rest of the next generation. But he could see however that the young Lucas Friar was a bit jealous of Joshua Matthews' interactions with Ms. Hart's daughter and hoped that wouldn't lead to problems.

The fact young Cory had gone into the teaching profession had been a true surprise but also made the older man quite proud of him. And to hear once again that he was being a positive influence on young minds was a great thing to see as well. In the morning, he and Lila had gone back to their home for some further rest before starting their day. And it wasn't long before Amy Matthews was up and cooking a big breakfast for those in the house while the coffee was made. It honestly had been some time since her home felt so alive and she loved that feeling. While her youngest had his own group of friends, they all liked to hang out in other areas a lot of the time and often leaving for a fairly quiet house in the process. Something both she and Alan loved and hated at the same time. A part of her however was worried about the sneezing Josh had been doing recently and hoped like crazy it wouldn't lead to something potentially a bit more unpleasant.

His preemie status had often made it hard for him to recover from illnesses but his immune system was gradually gaining in strength so that was a positive at least. And she hoped that would be enough to make her son's apparent cold be nothing more then a simple thing to quickly get past. The sleepover last night was perhaps the most fun she'd had in quite some time as well and she really enjoyed getting to know Katy and Maya more and looked forward to their being part of the family for years to come. Amy could also happily admit to herself that she was glad to see Tommy back in Eric's life again as it had truly been a crushing time for her oldest when he had made the decision to not adopt him.

It'd taken him a long time to recover from that even with the last goodbye he and Tommy had shared. She had often wondered what life might have been like if Eric had gone through with the adoption. But at least now life had been able to bring the two together again and it had certainly been a treat to see Tommy and Josh interact so well together. Josh had even at one point happily called the man his long lost but honorary uncle and those who had seen it could tell how happy that had made Tommy. The activist had then made a remark about how he had years of presents and the like to make up for and if anyone happened to see a watery sheen in Eric's eyes? It wasn't commented on at all.

It had also been nice to see Wendy again as well and my had she become quite the stunning woman and a great mother to boot as well. In another far flung life, Wendy likely could have been her daughter in law and Lucas her grandson. Of course if he had strong feelings for Riley then he likely would be a grandson of sorts anyway but she could see that he clearly had his heart set on little Maya and definitely didn't like the way she interacted with Josh. Though how aware he was of just how deep exactly his feelings went was another thing entirely. Especially at that particular age. Either way, like the Hart ladies, she happily welcomed the Friars into the Matthews clan.

A part of her couldn't help but wonder who else might show up for Christmas and hoped that Shawn would definitely be in attendance since he was practically another son to her. Seeing him last year had been truly wonderful and it was like he hadn't been absent for so long. The fact Riley had caused a positive change to happen for Shawn and Cory had been another great thing to see since she was aware of how Shawn felt like he didn't have much of a place in his best friend's life anymore after Cory started up his own little family. Which to her had been too ridiculous of a notion as Shawn would ALWAYS have a place in her son's life no matter what.

She was broken from her thoughts when footsteps were heard coming down the steps, revealing it to be none other then her son Josh. And for Amy, he really looked like he'd have been better off staying in bed. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked him concernedly as he shuffled over to the table, pulled out a chair, and plopped down with a grunt.

"Yeah ma, I'm fine. No worries." His stomach grumbled then and Amy went back to cooking while hoping he was truly okay.

As his getting sick usually always meant for some real unpleasantness due to the fact his immune system wasn't the strongest as it was still slowly building in strength. "Mmm… Something smells good in here." Came the voice of Maya Penelope Hart as she made her way into the kitchen while looking only maybe half way awake.

"Ma's a great cook." Josh told her while he had his head down on the table and his arms covering the back of his head.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with seconds." Teased his mother and making Maya smile at the whole thing.

The bedroom door having been left open had allowed for Maya to smell the delicious food being cooked and she couldn't help make her way to the kitchen. And frankly, after coming down she was quite glad for it since Uncle Boing was in there too. Even if he was keeping his head down for whatever reason. Though she hoped it was just cause he was tired and it not having something to do with the sneezing he did a few times last night. As getting sick when Christmas was right around the corner would just suck! Taking a seat at the table, she asked him if he was okay and he gave her pretty much the same response he'd given to his mother.

"Surprised though that you're even awake this early. Figured you'd still be sleepin' in."

Maya shrugged despite the fact he couldn't see it. "Was a need for the bathroom and the smells of what your mom's cooking pretty much sealed the deal for me."

She only got a grunt from him in response and then was pretty much occupied by a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. Along with a glass of orange juice. Maya quickly dug in as Amy put a plate down for Josh along with his own glass of orange juice. Raising his head up, he looked at the food for several seconds before finally grabbing his fork and trying some of the eggs. "Are you sure you're feeling okay sweetheart?"

"Yeah ma, but if its okay with you I'm gonna go lay back down for awhile."

"Of course, I'll make sure no one bothers you."

Her son gave her a grateful nod while Maya looked on in concern over the whole thing. "Get plenty of rest Uncle Boing! Cause I'm gonna need you at your A game as otherwise it'd be too easy to win at the Long Game." She told him with a smirk and causing him to look back at her with a small short lived smile of his own before walking on.

A part of her had been hoping for more than that however but considering how he was looking and obviously feeling, well, she'd just have to give him a pass at least once. Both Maya and Amy hoped that whatever was bothering him would soon go away quickly.

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**Author's Notes: Alright, so originally I was going to have this be even longer but I decided to end it where I did and leave what else I was writing for the next chapter. R and R!**


	13. Under The Weather

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. And wow, just wow! Blown away by the feedback on this! Though I have no idea what a Yuckaya is.**

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**2:00 PM, Matthews' Living Room**

After Maya had had breakfast, she'd gone back to bed for a little more sleep until Riley woke up and wouldn't leave her be. Something that got a pillow to the head over and leading to a pillow fight between the two. Afterwards, the two got ready for the day while Maya filled her best friend in on the fact that Amy had promised Josh he wouldn't be bothered while he rested. Riley had been understandably concerned over that but respected the need to leave things be for the time being for once. Auggie had been put out over it but Eric had thankfully managed to distract him enough to take his mind off it. A few snowmen would get built too after Eric, the girls, and Auggie decided to go outside for a little fun.

Eric even had a different kind of fun when they went over to the side of the house and got to witness the questionably crazy man do the legendary Feeny Call. Of course it hadn't been either Lila or George who'd come out but his niece Jessica instead. Who had only gotten even more beautiful over the years in Eric's eyes and had pretty much gone mushy over her. She had nicely enough still remembered him and the two flirted some until Lila had called her inside for lunch. But Jessica did promise that their reunion would continue later, making for a very happy Eric Matthews who got some teasing from Maya over it. He got her back good though when he made the remark that at least he doesn't call his crush cutesy little names and got a snowball to the face over it in return.

He'd wound up being chased for a little bit by Riley, Maya, and Auggie until Jack and TJ got in on the fun. Those two for whatever reason had been carrying a net that they quickly used on him, leaving for a very open target for snow balls. Something that would have been prime gossip material were they in New York then. Course its not like it would have been anything scandalous considering the nature of the whole thing. Farkle eventually showed up around one o'clock and got his own opportunity to speak to Mr. Feeny. Who found the young man to be a delightfully smart individual who was truly like his father in a lot of ways. Something Farkle was proud to hear of from the man.

And when Wendy showed up to the Matthews' without Lucas along, Maya had quickly asked where Hop-A-Long was as she was quite shocked he wasn't following her like a little puppy. Something Wendy didn't take offense to as she was well used to Maya's way of things where her son was concerned. "Let's just say I had to leave him at my parents' due to too much sugar." Really, did her mother have to use THAT much sugar!?

"Sugar rush huh? Fun but such a downer in the end." Remarked Eric with a shake of the head.

"Something like that." Replied Wendy somewhat vaguely.

**Jansen Household**

One Lucas Friar could be seen strapped into a recliner while also wearing a straight jacket. Why the Jansens had that was anyone's guess since it wasn't a well known fact they had it. His grandparents were watching the whole thing with frowns on their faces as Lucas turned his head this way and that way while giggling like a nut and rambling on. "Yesss…. The Sugar is soooo good! So much sweetness, so little time! How can one handle such a thing!? And the cookies! Oh the cookies! Should always be Cookie Time! For happiness abounds! Hee hee hee!"

Marty Jansen looked towards his wife of many, many years with that frown still on his face. "You just had to use too much sugar didn't you!?" He groused at the woman and felt bad for the boy as he was gonna have one heck of a headache!

"Don't sass me Marty!" Snapped the woman and pointed at a corner for him to go too for speaking out of line.

Marty's shoulders sagged in defeat as once again the power the Jansen women had came into play. Lord knows he wished things were more balanced! Maybe he should speak to that son-in-law of his? Could have a few ideas for him and the other Jansen men to try!

"COOKIE TIME!"

**Back at the Matthews'**

"Well I hope it won't be too much of a downer for him." Piped up Riley with a smile.

Wendy gave her a smile in return. "Thank you Riley, that is very sweet of you."

"I'm sure your parents will take good care of him Wendy." Added Cory who had a pretty odd idea as to how that would go but kept his mouth shut since he still remembered how much power the women in the Jansen family had over the men.

Noises could be heard from Maya's pet ferret named Ginger. "Aww, I'm sorry honey but I guess you'll have to wait for Ranger Rick to show up." She told her baby soothingly while giving it a little rub.

She never could understand why her baby loved the guy so much but seeing the two interact was always really sweet to watch. Those in the living room found the scene to be adorably cute and one would be likely to think of it as a Kodak moment too. Her mom being able to get Ginger for her when she did had always been one of the best things ever for Maya in her opinion. The artist still found it amusing anytime she thought about Riley's words about her cat being possessed into a ferret. Which hadn't really made much sense but that was Riles for ya!

**7:00 PM, Dinner Time in the Kitchen**

Seven arrived and it was dinner time for those at the house. Cory and Topanga had gone off for a little alone time somewhere and Jack, TJ, and Maya were also gone too. Though Alan had the belief it was to spy on Eric and George's niece while they were on their date. Farkle and Auggie had kept Ginger company and it'd been pretty fun for the two to have the chance to play with him. And it'd certainly been enough to tire the little fella out to the point Katy was able to put him in his carrier to sleep without much protesting. Wendy had eventually gone back to her parents' house for awhile and Katy helped Amy cook tonight's dinner. Which would be steak, peas, and mashed potatoes.

After setting the table that would also include a spot for Farkle since he hadn't left just yet, Amy sent Riley to go and let Josh know it was time for dinner. Who had yet to make an appearance since earlier that morning. Once Riley got to her uncle's bedroom door she knocked on it several times and then waited for him to open it up. "Uncle Josh! Its dinner time!" She called out through the door.

Waiting a beat and still hearing no answer, Riley knocked on his door and was elated when the door knob turned and the door opened somewhat. Though she could barely see her uncle under the covers he had himself wrapped in. "Not… Hungry Riles… Thanks anyways." He told her while sounding hoarse too.

Something that worried the girl a lot. "Uncle Josh, you really don't sound okay."

"No worries… Just a lil… Under The… Weather is all." Her uncle tried to sound upbeat while telling her that but he wasn't quite succeeding.

"Okay… Well you just get plenty of rest and I'll see if Grandma can make something for you that'll help."

"You're… The best." She smiled at his compliment and then went back downstairs after he closed his door.

Seeing that Riley was without Josh, the girl quickly explained why he hadn't come down and definitely didn't miss the worried looks exchanged between her grandparents. "You can make some chicken soup for him right? That's bound to help him out a lot right?"

"Of course sweetheart, why don't you and I get started on that right away?"

Riley nodded happily at that and she and her grandmother got to it then and there while everyone else ate while feeling some worry for Josh and hoping whatever was bothering him wouldn't be around for long. Once the two Matthews women got it ready to go, Riley would be the one to take it up to her uncle and he'd take it from her at the door with a smile and a thank you. And while she'd been up there, Lucas and his momma showed up and the poor kid had one heck of a headache too!

Something Maya would happily annoy him about once she, Jack, and TJ came back to the house after getting caught by Eric and Jessica. Riley had gotten poor Lucas an ice pack and some Tylenol since she didn't want him to be stuck with an awful headache. But Wendy had interfered and only let the ice pack be used by saying that her son needed to learn from his actions. Needless to say, the bubbly ball of Sunshine known as Riley Matthews wasn't too happy but listened to Wendy regardless. Ginger however got to give a little affection to Lucas and for the young Friar, that made the whole thing worth it.

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**Author's Notes: I thought it'd be nice to bring back Jessica Feeny since we only ever really saw her once as far as I can remember. Once I thought to include her, I started to think of what all I could do with the character to have her around in some capacity instead of going back into Limbo Land. And to be honest, I had completely forgotten about Maya's pet Ferret until the recent shots of Girl Meets Money started floating around. Which makes me wonder why the little fella (boy or girl?) hasn't even been seen since the first Halloween episode.**

**So I decided to bring the little guy into this fic and hopefully its believable too considering I didn't mention him in the previous two chapters. Look forward to your thoughts! Especially where the Cookie Time thing is concerned!**


	14. The Date

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Which might be a good thing considering my penchant for taking things to crazy levels at times. I'm also thinking about running Wild Times In Texas and this together in the same fic on A03 and then adding to it on there with what I have in mind later on. If that made any kind of sense. Anyways! Here's a look at Eric and Jessica's date! Also I love the idea of the Mummer's Parade that Philly has, a big thank you to the guest for suggesting that too. Which sadly I most likely won't be using due to what I have planned for this. Thanks again though!**

**I'm not gonna lie though, its somewhat annoying and not all that helpful when you get a review and all it says is 'update.' I appreciate the fact you want to see more but at least put a little more thought into your review.**

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Never in a million years did Senator Eric Matthews think he'd find himself with another opportunity to be around Jessica Feeny again. Whether Mr. Feeny had been behind that or not was the question but he wasn't about to ask the man that as it'd be rude to do. But lo and behold here he was on a freakin' date with the man's niece and if anything, time had done well by her! Jessica still looked to be as beautiful as the day he meet her when they were still teenagers. Though he couldn't help but notice the slight stiffness and guardedness from her and it made him think of Mr. Feeny's words to him before they left about being good to her. At the time Eric had thought he was referring to how he used to be around girls but now he wasn't so sure about that anymore. Course he had definitely improved in that area as it is when it came to women. Not because of his time as the mayor St. Upid Town or his now being a senator, but because of the years of experience and growing up he'd dealt with.

But despite the stiffness and guardedness, she did seem to be having a good time with him and that was what was important. The first stop on their date had been to the Longwood Gardens to take in the sights there with all its amazing Christmas displays and the wonder and happiness on her face had been truly amazing to see for Eric. And if he was being honest with himself, he really wouldn't mind ensuring that mixed look was always on her face. After their stroll through the Gardens, he then decided to take her to the Blue Cross RiverRink for some ice skating and she had practically hugged him over that as she told him it'd been a long time since she got to do something like that. Course when she realized how close they were, Jessica pulled away from him much to his own dislike but left it alone for the time being.

While the two were enjoying their date, they were also being spied on by three people. Those being Jack Hunter, Tommy 'TJ' Murphy, and one Maya 'Blonde Beauty' Hart. The two men had been providing commentary the entire time too much to Maya's amusement. "And good God almighty! He's taken her ice skating! The Senator is pulling out all the stops on this date!" Came the voice of Tommy while trying to imitate good ol' Jim Ross' way of commentating.

"What a night this is Tommy and its barely even started!" Added Jack while trying to pull a Jerry 'The King' Lawler impression and making Maya laugh in the process.

"You guys are too much!"

Jack just shrugged. "Hey, when you're around us you're either bound to be amused or exasperated. Or both even." A part of Tommy had wished he had experienced more of that but was none the less grateful for the little he did get to be around for. Heck as it was, Eric had been plenty enough on his own back then!

"Oh yeah, I get what you're saying there completely. Being around Riley and her family has shown me that a lot." Not that she would ever complain as she loved that family to death.

"The Matthews are some really good people."

Maya smiled at that as it was definitely true and Tommy couldn't help but nod in agreement. They had been all too willing to happily welcome him into their lives back when he was a boy just because of Eric and the fact they were still willing enough to do it years later spoke volumes about them. "You know… If things work out with this girl it might help make Eric feel a little less sad."

That made Maya and Jack look at Tommy and wondering what the heck he meant by that. Seeing their looks of confusion, he quickly explained that everytime he got off the phone with Rachel he always seemed a bit sad and would claim it wasn't because he still felt something big for the Redhead. But never would go further on the subject. "Huh, that'll be something to ask her about then." Remarked Jack thoughtfully. Who could only hope that wouldn't be weird since he and Rachel had only been re-connecting recently thanks to Eric's influence.

"Have fun with that." Added Maya with a thumb's up while actually hoping this would work out well for the big lug.

As for the big lug and his date? Well that was still going pretty good nicely enough and Jessica was even impressed by the fact Eric had yet to fall. "Ah you know, self help tapes while I slept. Even if a friend of mine used their power for evil purposes!" He told her with a shudder and making her laugh.

It'd taken a week for him to get over that part of the tapes' programming Jason had poorly recorded over. Which had led to a huge binge fest that led to an empty fridge, an upset stomach from being too full, and a very unhappy mother! "Evil purposes huh? Care to tell a girl?"

"He'd put food my way and I'd freak out like crazy over it. Made it kinda hard to find dates for awhile too back then." The jerk!

Jessica laughed over that and was really starting to feel even more happy over the fact she had answered the 'Feeny Call' earlier that day. Being able to re-connect with Eric was really great and if anything, he was just as funny and cute as he was back then. The fact his being a senator hadn't taken that goofy quality out of him yet was remarkable in her view as well and hoped he wouldn't lose it. As the two skated close together, Jessica debated whether or not to explain why she seemed pretty guarded around him and was glad for the fact he hadn't asked yet or appeared bothered by it. "Sooo..." She started but trailed off due to being unsure as to how to continue.

"Yyyesss?"

She couldn't help but shake her head in amusement over that. "I know I've been kinda guarded around you and I'm sorry for that. I really am."

"Hey, I completely understand and you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want too." Eric told her as they stopped skating.

Jessica could have taken the out he'd just given her but that would have been the easy thing to do. But her uncle had taught her the value of never doing that. "Thank you Eric, that's sweet of you to say but I want to tell you. The thing is… I just got out of a bad marriage and its because of that that I'm a little wary of being around men aside from uncle George and you to an extent."

Eric straightened up and gave her a slight bow. "Well when in need, just call in Eric Matthews, That Good Lookin' Guy." Jessica couldn't help but giggle over that.

"See? That's why I don't feel as wary around you cause of that innate goodness you have about you."

It was Eric's turn to smile at her in happiness in knowing that. "I'm glad you feel that way. Maybe if we're lucky that innate goodness I have will make you completely relaxed around me."

She looked at him and a part of her actually wouldn't mind seeing that possibly happen. "It may take time, but I'm willing to see if that happens. Have to say though, there was at least ONE good thing that came out of my marriage with Jerome." A very good thing indeed.

That mention had Eric's interest for sure while feeling pretty darn happy she was willing to see where things could go. As at least this time distance wouldn't be much of an issue since she was staying with Mr. Feeny for the time being. "Oh? Why do tell milady. We all friends up in here! Well… Maybe not that guy over there." He said with a nod of his head in one person's direction who looked pretty unhappy to be at the rink for whatever reason and Jessica couldn't help but laugh over Eric's antics.

"Patience! One thing at a time okay?" Eric nodded at that as he could understand her wanting to take any big reveals slow.

Holding out a hand for her to grab, he spoke up again. "Then patience dear Jessica is what you shall have!" He told her with a flourish that made him a little wobbly.

Surprising even herself, she took his offered hand and together they went back to enjoying some ice skating while hand in hand. Jessica Feeny honestly couldn't wait to see else the cute goofball had planned next. Which would turn out to be a great dinner followed by a slow walk as the two couldn't help but find themselves wanting to be even closer to the other and not just because they were wanting to be warm. A chuckle erupted from Eric however as the two walked that made her pretty curious. "What's so funny?"

"Oh just our three little tails." That made her confused and slightly worried.

Seeing the look of worry on her face, Eric quickly told her just who was following them and she started to relax afterwards. A part of Eric was not liking that she had even seemed a bit panicked as it was giving him an incomplete image in his mind about the man she used to be with. And man was he not liking that but was thankful she had gotten out of that mess. "So do we keep going as is or let them know we know?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, he considered the options presented to them. On the one hand, not saying anything would mean they would keep following him and his lovely date and preventing privacy between the two. Not that he expected much to happen of course considering the little she had mentioned about her ex. On the other hand, he could out them and make fun of them for having been caught since he had been aware of the three for some time now. As his bodyguard had been taken a few percautions to help Eric be more aware of his surroundings when it was needed. "Ah what the heck."

"Ohh Jack, Tommy, and Machuka! We know you're followin' us!" Eric called out while looking towards a snow covered bush.

Faint arguing could be heard after that until the three rose up as one with sheepish looks on their faces. "You still can't get my name right!" Groused Maya as she and the two men camed up to them.

Eric just shrugged at her as he knew full well what her name really was but the chance to rile her up by calling her other names was just too fun. "What can I say? Its a gift."

Low muttering from the girl about whether or not it really was a gift could be heard and a grin appeared on Eric's face during it. "Hey man, this was so not my idea at all. It was all these two's." Claimed Jack while getting two loud 'Heys!' at the same time from Tommy and Maya.

"Uh-huh." Replied Jessica in a tone that suggested she really didn't quite believe that.

Years of finding out information on people that they didn't want anyone else knowing about had taught Tommy a great deal. And it would certainly come in handy at this point in time. Though he knew Eric probably wasn't even all that bothered by their spying on him and his date since he didn't seem all that mad about it. "Intelligence gathering is a very, very important thing." Spoke up the young man in a serious tone of voice.

"I felt it was important for the future of our youth to learn how to properly do things like that. Because with out that… We're all gonna be dead or brainless robots… And that would totally, and I mean totally suck." He knew he was rambling but he just couldn't help it! Especially with the stare down he was getting from the two! Anybody else wouldn't be as intimidating!

Eric and Jessica looked at one another and it seemed as if there as a silent conversation between the two despite the recent reunion between the two. They then looked back at the two and Tommy felt a retreat was highly needed! "RETREAT!" And with that, the three were gone quickly. Making for two very highly amused adults.

"Now that was fun!" Commented Jessica happily and Eric couldn't agree more!

"I can't wait to bug em about it when I get back to the house later." Prime time teasing for sure!

 _I just might have to come over to watch that happen._ Thought the niece of George Feeny with a smile.

The two continued on with their date and it'd prove to be one of the best nights Jessica had in some time and she couldn't wait for another opportunity to present itself to go on another date with him. And she had a pretty good feeling Eric felt the same way. Especially when she decided to Hell with it and pulled him close to her at the fence between the Matthews and Feeny yards and kissed him. A kiss that deepened into full on making out and would freak out George Feeny considerably when he had the misfortune to see the two in their moment. Little did she know however that she and her family would soon be providing some moral support for Eric and his family when one of their own wound up in the hospital.

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**Author's Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed this look at Eric and Jessica's date! Hopefully with how I handled her character and certain events was pretty believable too. Up next? Things get a little intense when a trip to the hospital is needed. R and R!**


	15. Waiting Room

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Now let's roll on! Attempting something a little different with this chapter with its beginning. Hopefully it works!**

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**Sunday, December 20th, 2015 8:45 PM in the waiting room at the Hospital**

In the waiting room the hospital, the very same hospital that Josh was born in as a matter of fact, sat a large group made up of a mix of family and friends and all were pretty darn worried for one Joshua 'Uncle Boing' Matthews as he was currently being seen too by doctors and nurses after getting rushed there nearly an hour ago. He'd been found by Maya Hart when she heard noises coming from his room and went inside to see if he was okay and what she came across had scared the crap out of her. The only two people not there currently was Lucas 'Quite A Few Nicknames' Friar and Deanna Feeny as the two had gone back to the Matthews' home to retrieve a few items for Maya. Shawn and Morgan were also not there either as they were still not in the area just yet. Now, you might be wondering what exactly led to this point that would see Josh in the hospital.

And that my friends would take us back several hours earlier into the day. When things weren't as tense and a bit more happier and less worrisome. And it pretty much started around one o'clock when a kid named Jesse Abelman showed up at the Matthews' home to see Josh. Amy had been reluctant to let him see her son considering they'd been in the same boat when they were born so long ago but he had managed to convince her it'd be okay. He'd leave about twenty minutes later with a worried look on his face and would only tell Riley and her friends that he was a friend of Josh's from high school since he wasn't aware of how much they knew about Josh's life where the preemie status was concerned and didn't want to let any cats out of the bag.

Luckily they had bought it without too much thought but it did give Amy and Alan a line of thought about whether or not to say anything since Riley did know of her uncle's status but hadn't told anyone else outside of the family. Mostly cause it wasn't something she thought too much on all that much due to him not being around a lot. Cory, Alan, and Stuart would also volunteer to take the kids to see a movie they'd been wanting to see but hadn't had the opportunity to do so yet. That and the kids wanted to see something that was upbeat after hearing a few of Gammy Hart's wild theories about Death not wanting to take her just yet. Before they had left, Lucas had caught a flash of blue hair in one of the windows from the Feeny home and it had left him pretty curious until Maya sat next to him in the theater and pretty much had half his attention while the movie had the other half.

He also couldn't help but find it amusing that she was wearing a blue t-shirt with the words 'Artists gonna art' on the front in black. Causing him to wonder where she managed to find it. After the movie, they got some pizzas and headed back to the house and wound up in a snowball fight after Maya teased Eric over how goofy and mushy he was being after his date from the night before. Jessica being right there next to him couldn't help but find it amusing when watching the blonde annoy Eric and get annoyed in return every time he messed up her name. Which had been one of the things that had led to a snowball free for all fight that would see Lucas get snow stuffed down his jacket by a certain devious Shortstack of Pancakes and her best friend.

The cutesy innocent smiles and the batting eyelashes did nothing to stop him from going after the two girls until Farkle and Auggie stopped him in his tracks. Something that had made him wind up falling face first into a mini snow mountain much to the delight of everybody else. Lucas had promised them all then and there he'd vow revenge and would have another misfortune when his momma of all people would dump a bucket of snow onto his head and then leave the bucket on him! Leaving for an odd case of deja vu for the boy. But at least Riley wasn't flipping out that time so it wasn't all that bad except for being really cold! He'd try to guilt trip his momma about the potential cold he'd get over that since he knew how much she loved him but she wouldn't have any of it unfortunately. A little while afterwards and a few more glances of blue hair in the windows, the four teenagers plus Auggie would decide to build a snowman. Well, more so Lucas, Maya, and Auggie since Riley and Farkle spent half the time helping and the other being busy arguing over a proper name for a snowman of all things.

Maya would give him a mild glare when he suggested the name of Tombstone and he backed away from her over it. Which made him realize how others might see that as ridiculous but hey it didn't really matter to him! Getting her all riled up was always pretty fun in his view. "Don't make me make a certain noise Ranger Rick. Cause you know I will." She warned him and he couldn't help but gulp since a cow's moo still freaked him out to an extent after that mess with Cain the Bull.

"Yes ma'am!" He told her with an imaginary hat tip that made her roll her eyes but was smiling anyway.

A few minutes later saw the Blonde Beauty making a beeline for the inside of the house due to a need for the bathroom and ignoring Lucas' remark about not taking all day in there but vowing to get him back for it. And once taking care of that, Maya looked at herself in the mirror and considered if whether or not fixing up her hair would make a difference since she was about to head back outside and would need her jacket's hood to help stay warm. Her attention would get taken from that however when she started to hear noises from Josh's room. Turning to the second door the bathroom had that connected to his room, she stared at it apprehensively before stepping up to it and putting her ear to the door.

A moan could be heard and Maya frowned and decided to knock on the door as it was better to be safer than sorry. "Hey Uncle Boing? You okay in there or do you have company you don't want anyone knowin' about?" It was meant as a joke but the idea of him having a girl in there wasn't something she liked at all.

There was no response until another moan and what sounded like a thumping noise could be heard. Testing the door knob she found it wasn't locked and slowly opened the door and one of the first thing she was assaulted by was all the warmth that hit her in the face. _Jeez! Its way too warm in here!_

"Josh?" She asked as she couldn't really see him anywhere and found it weird he had his bedroom light on.

"Uhnn..."

That sound alarmed her as it seemed to be coming from the otherside of the lone bed where part of a cover seemed to be hanging off of. Walking over to the side, Maya instantly saw a partially covered up Josh who seemed to be trying to get himself into a ball like position. "Josh!" She called out in fear and worry as she quickly got down next to him to see if he was okay.

"M-Mayaaaa… Shouldn't be…. In here..." He managed to get out as she put a hand on him.

"I think I'll have to disagree with you on that one!" As really, he looked so pale and sweaty!

She felt his forehead and instantly pulled away as it was hot! "I knew you were hot but this is ridiculous..."

Josh tried to chuckle but only succeeded in coughing instead. Prompting Maya to make the decision to call out for help as this was just too serious to leave alone. "MR. MATTHEWS!" She screamed out loudly for not only those in the house to hear but outside of it too.

Seconds later would see several people coming into the bedroom with Lucas in the lead with Riley, Farkle, and Auggie behind him with the adults quickly arriving as well. Topanga quickly got Auggie out of there as he shouldn't be seeing what was going on and potentially getting nightmares from it. After feeling his son's head himself, Alan hurriedly told Cory to call for an ambulance, making for Riley start to tear up with Maya not too far behind. It'd taken an ambulance nearly ten minutes to get there due to weather conditions and Josh was quickly loaded inside of it while leaving for quite a few concerned individuals that lived in the area.

"Alan! What happened!?" Asked George Feeny as he, Lila, Jessica, and a blue haired girl came into the Matthews' yard.

Alan looked towards the man as he held Amy in his arms. "Josh had to be taken to the hospital." He told the man brokenly while Cory and Topanga gave one another comfort while Topanga held their son in an attempt to comfort him as well that everything would be okay.

Similar scenes would also be playing out with Riley and Farkle and Lucas and Maya. Both girls had tears coming down their faces as the boys tried what they could to soothe them. They watched as the ambulance drove off with Josh inside it. "Shh… Its gonna be okay Maya. I promise."

"You don't know that Lucas!"

"Sure I do, us Cowboys always know these kinds of things." He wasn't serious at all but none the less Maya both appreciated and loved it a lot from him.

They would all quickly get to the hospital afterwards and Katy would keep her arms around her baby girl as they waited to hear of any news about Josh. A little bit later into the wait, Maya wanted to find something to keep her occupied but her sketch book was back at the Matthews' home along with Ginger who she had made sure was in his carrier before they left. The blue haired girl had offered to go back and get it for her and Lucas had also volunteered for it. As despite the really bad timing, the Friar from Texas found himself drawn to the blue haired girl who's name he'd learn was Deanna. Had Maya paid any attention to the two's interactions, jealously would have flared up in her like it did Riley who was definitely not liking the girl for managing to keep his attention for the most part.

Even if he had been consoling her some. Alan gave the young man the key to the house and told them to make sure they were safe about the drive there and back and got a nod in return. Nearly forty five minutes later would see the two return with Maya's sketch pad and some colored pencils. "About time those two got back." Muttered Riley lowly and causing Farkle to look at her in concern over that since she seemed to be a little jealous sounding.

"Hey Maya, got you your requests." Informed Lucas as he walked up to the girl who seemed lost in thought and his walk seemed to have a little swagger to it as well.

His voice managed to break her out of her thoughts as she looked up at him. "Huh? Oh! Thanks Huckleberry!" She gently took her sketchpad and pencils from him and saw much to her happiness that he had gotten the best ones for her to use.

"Hey! You even got the best ones for me to use."

Lucas shrugged at her with a smile on his face. "Yeah well, I looked at your sketchin' supplies and saw which ones you'd probably want the most. Glad it worked out." A happy Maya was a good thing in his view.

"Remind me to do something nice for you." She happily told him and completely missing the fact Riley wasn't looking too happy with them.

A laugh escaped the Huckleberry and Maya groaned as she knew he was likely gonna have fun with that. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

He then went and handed the key back to Mr. Matthews' dad as Maya happily started messing about with her sketchbook. "So any word yet?" Asked the young Friar to Alan after handing over the key.

The man shook his head in the negative. "No, not yet and I'm kind of worried about that." Admitted Alan and Lucs could understand that as he'd probably start to feel pretty worried too.

"Well sir, we can only hope and pray that all will go well." Alan smiled at the young man's words and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you Lucas."

"Anytime sir."

Lucas then went to go sit next to Riley and Farkle, only for the brunette girl to 'hmph!' him and turn her head in the opposite direction. Leaning back to look at Farkle and mouthing what that was about and only getting a look of confusion from the genius in return. _Huh, whatever I guess._ He'd worry about Riley's actions later when things weren't so serious. Catching Deanna's eye however got him a pleased little smirk from the girl and he could only hope he wasn't blushing.

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**Author's Notes: As mentioned before, hopefully the way I set this up worked and isn't confusing for anyone. Josh is in the hospital with no word yet on his condition and just who exactly is Deanna the blue haired girl? Find out in the next chapter as we take a look at just what exactly she and Lucas got up too! And even learn a thing or two about her! I will admit though that this is a character I'd been already thinking of using for something else in relation to my Girl Meets Possibilities fic.**

**Jesse isn't exactly an oc since there was several babies in the NICU during Josh's time there as there was a Jewish man watching over his child there. But then again Jesse kind of is an oc since I'm putting my spin on things from those scenes with other preemie babies. R and R!**


	16. Fun Time for Lucas and News on Josh

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Now let's roll on with what Lucas and Deanna were up too!**

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**Sunday, December 20th, 2015 7:55 PM in the Hospital Waiting Room**

Worry and fear was high in the waiting room as the Matthews family sans Morgan, the Feenies, The Hart family, the Minkus family, and the Friar family sans Jefferson sat in the waiting room chairs awaiting word on Joshua Matthews after Maya had found him in his room quite feverish. So far they had waited for thirty minutes with no word about Josh and more than one person was a little on the worried side about that. Katy and Gammy Hart had taken seats on Maya's side in order to provide comfort for the freaked out girl after finding her crush like she had. And if Maya was being honest, she would have rather preferred him having been with a girl instead of this way. When Amy had made a remark about how this felt somewhat close to how things had been when he was born that had made Maya wonder what she meant enough to ask.

What she'd learn after that would shock not only only her but her mom and Gammy, the Minkus family, and Lucas and his mother. The fact Uncle Boing had been born pre-mature was a heck of a shock to them and it made the Blonde Beauty wonder why nothing had been said. Riley had simply told her that it wasn't the kind of thing you just bring up and she could understand that line of thinking. A little bit after that bombshell, which included Shawn Hunter's miraculous appearance, Lucas had taken to walking around a little and that's when he'd wind up in a conversation with a certain blue haired girl. "Hey there." The voice surprised Lucas a little and his eyes widened some when he saw the blue hair from Mr. Feeny's window and the cute girl it apparently belonged too.

"Hi." The young Friar couldn't help but stare at her, something that made her smirk.

"Now I know I'm like a beacon and all with the hair, but staring too long might make you blind." Which, in her view would suck for him as he was hot.

Lucs couldn't help but chuckle at the joke. The fact she sounded kind of Southern had his interest too. "Well I wouldn't want that to happen cause I still got things to see in the world."

Seeing Maya's smile again and again, his momma's cooking, and Riley being her wonder goofy self were just a few of those things. "And if I might say ma'am, the blue hair is a bold choice." Something his momma would no doubt have his hide for if he tried it.

The girl chuckled at his words and added another thing about him she'd just learned in her mind. "Ah well, you know, my dad is a real jerk and this is just one of my ways of rebelling against him." She told him with a shrug.

The way she had sounded when calling her dad that name told Lucas then and there that there must be some bad blood between the two of them. Something he could understand considering how things were between him and his dad for a long while that they were now trying to fix. "Oh, by the way cutie, the name's Deanna Feeny. So please cut it out with the ma'am crap as I had way too much of that back in Kentucky."

"Lucas Friar from Austin, Texas ma-ummm… I mean Deanna." Replied the Huckleberry immediately after and having to catch himself before he called her 'ma'am' again.

Deanna smirked at him and he couldn't help but find himself shaking his head over it as he knew full well in why she had done the action. "A Southern Country boy, I like it."

A blush creeped up his neck and heated up his face over how she had just casually flirted and complimented him. And had he been paying any attention to Riley, he would have seen the girl looking rather jealous at the interactions between him and the blue haired wonder. "I reckon I aim to please a fellow Southern Girl."

"Oh ho! Look at you tryin' to be all smooth." She told him jokingly and enjoying the Hell out of the fact he was being bashful now!

Now because of her dear old dad, Deanna didn't have much trust in men and most teenaged boys. But where this particular teenaged boy was concerned there was just something she couldn't help herself with when it came to him. She had noticed the lost and helpless look on his face as he had wondered around the room and having seen it on her mom's face made her want to do something about it. "So why aren't you with that girlfriend of yours? Figured a nice gentleman like you would be considerin' what's goin' on and all."

He went wide eyed at her after that. "Oh, uhh… She's not, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends is all. Yeah, just friends." Even if he wouldn't mind taking it a bit beyond that but with Josh in the picture and the way things were for him, that just wasn't gonna be happening anytime soon.

"Oh, sorry about that. Just thought you two were a thing."

"Nah, don't even worry about it. You wouldn't be the first to think that way about us."

And boy was that the truth! While they talked, Riley wasn't the only one paying attention as Lucas' momma was as well. _Hmm… I'm not too sure about that girl but at least she's keepin' my boy company._ She just hoped Lucas wouldn't get any crazy ideas about making his hair look like her's.

"Assumptions, you gotta love those."

Lucas chuckled. "Oh yeah, a real joy to have." And he could probably apply that to with how Riley tended to view him as. Not to mention others that knew him.

To Deanna, the way he had sounded when saying that told her he must have some experience with that. Which sucked to her but she could sympathize with him on that as she had more than one person back in Kentucky make assumptions about her and also her family that weren't even close to the mark. But before they could continue talking, Maya's voice could be heard talking about how she wished she had her sketchpad with her to keep herself occupied. Katy could then be heard asking where it was and learning that it was back at the Matthews' place. Deanna chose to walk to up to her and offered up her services if she wanted. As she figured it might be a little nice to do a little driving despite the conditions.

"I'll come with to get it." Offered up Lucas who also wanted to talk more with the blue haired wonder since he was finding himself drawn to her and really enjoying their chat.

Deanna liked the idea of him coming along as well, especially if it meant she got to make him blush again. Maya was honestly surprised by the fact this girl she didn't even know would offer to get it but was happy that her Huckleberry was pretty willing too. "I have my license so getting over there wouldn't be an issue for me."

"Oh, well thanks you two." Replied Maya gratefully.

Alan, having heard the conversation walked over to them and took out his keys, took the house key off and handed it to Lucas. "I want you two to be careful out there alright?" Now it might seem odd that he was trusting the two, but Lucas was a friend of his granddaughter's and Deanna was George Feeny's niece so if he couldn't trust them, then who could he trust?

"Yes sir." Nodded Lucas.

"You got it Mr. Matthews."

And with that, the two left and made their way down to the first floor via the elevator. Once they got to the parking lot, Lucas stopped in his tracks as Deanna walked up to her vehicle. Which happened to be a light blue 1979 F-250 Ranger truck. "Wow, what a beauty."

Deanna rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the smile on her face as she loved her baby. "She's been in the family for years and now I'm her owner." Something that had annoyed her dear old dad immensely when his dad had given it to her instead of him.

"Y'all must take real good care of her then."

"Yep, back in Kentucky we know how to appreciate a good truck." Deanna was pleasantly surprised when her new friend broke out into laughter after that.

Seeing the look of confusion and surprise on the girl's face, he managed to calm himself down to explain why he had found that funny. "Sorry about that, its just I said somethin' similar once about boots."

"Great minds think alike then."

"I reckon so." Replied Lucas happily.

The two got inside the truck and she started it up. Along the way to the Matthews' home, the two talked and Lucas would learn that she's sixteen, that she loved to write, loved bands like My Morning Jacket, the Kentucky Headhunters, Nappy Roots, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and several other bands. That she was loyal to you so long as you were loyal to her, and wasn't afraid to get into a fight. He'd get a kick out of the fact that life sized dolls scared the crap out of her and that she hated getting all dressed up. She also had a slight interest in auto mechanics, which Lucas also liked quite a bit. After she got done talking about herself, she put on some rock music and the two nodded their heads along to the music.

All the while Lucas spoke up a bit loudly to be heard over it about his interests and that like her, one of his favorite bands was Black Stone Cherry. Something the two shared a fist bump over. Now he could have told her that earlier but honestly he enjoyed hearing her accent when she talked. The lack of bubbly happiness and the lack of insults was also pretty darn appealing too if he was being honest with himself. Deanna found it to be sweet that he wanted to be a doctor for animals and the passion he had in his voice when talking about it told her he was going to see that dream through come Hell or high water. The fact he was fiercely protective of those he cared about appealed to the girl as well and knew that kind of devotion could get you into a few fights from her own experiences.

The Huckleberry from Texas was glad he had gotten this chance to meet and talk with this girl. Her mom having the courage to leave behind a man who had very poor views on women in general was a darn good thing in his view of things as well. Though he would only admit this to himself, but a part of him wouldn't mind going and knocking the lights out of the jerk for not being a better father and husband to this blue haired beauty and her momma. The two went into comfortable silence with one another as they listened to the music until Deanna lowered the volume down and asked a question about Eric.

"Is he legit? Yeah, I really do think he is as otherwise I probably wouldn't have been as willin' to help get him elected."

The work he was doing with Tommy and that Jack fella showed just how good a man Eric Matthews really is despite his goofy antics. Deanna wasn't too sure about the guy herself due to her issues with adult men but she would give a wait and see approach where he and her mom were concerned. And if it wasn't for the fact Lucas was going back to New York after Christmas… She'd probably be trying to start up something with him since he wasn't exactly giving off bad vibes. Although, a little fun couldn't hurt…

The two finally arrived at the Matthews' home and got out of the truck carefully since neither really wanted to possibly fall on their butts. Making their way to the door and getting inside with the front room light still on since no one had turned any of the lights off prior to them leaving. One of the things Lucas spotted however was Ginger's carrier and went over to see the little guy. "Hey there little buddy, I hope you're doing well." He softly said to the Ferret while giving it a little finger rub through the squared holes of the carrier's door.

Deanna watched the scene with a smile on her face as despite how she considered herself to be a tough bad ass, something like that was just cute. "Who's in there?"

Instead of answering right away, he brought up the cage to her and she could see a Ferret inside. "This is Ginger, Maya's pet Ferret whom she loves very much."

"Well a little cutie like that I'm not surprised." She remarked and wishing she could play with the little guy but thinking there would hopefully be a chance to do so later on if Maya allowed it.

Fondly smiling at Ginger as he put the carrier down, Lucas then looked around but didn't see the sketchpad. _Huh, might be in the girls' room then._

"Soooo… Cutie, I was wonderin' if you were interested in a little fun before we head back?" The blue haired girl knew it was bold of her and if her dad knew about it he'd likely flip his lid about it. Which would probably make her want to roll her eyes over the whole thing.

The suggestive tone in her voice made Lucas freeze as he wondered what exactly she was meaning with it. "Umm… Fun? What kind of fun? I mean don't get me wrong I love anything fun but we need to find Maya's sketchbook before we get to havin' fun."

Mashed Potatoe Volcanoes anyone!? Walking up to him with a smirk on her lips and a look in her eyes that honestly made the young Friar somewhat nervous as he wasn't entirely sure what it meant. Though the hint of mischieviousness in her teal colored eyes reminded him of Maya when she was up to something that usually involved trying to get on his nerves. "And you're absolutely right Tex, but here's an example of the fun."

 _Oh no, not another nickname!_ He could only hope a certain Shortstack of Pancakes wouldn't hear the nickname as no doubt she'd love the heck out of it.

Lucas however quickly became acquainted with the idea of fun the blue haired wonder had in mind when she kissed him full on the lips. Something that stunned the ever lovin' heck outta him! He surprised not only himself but Deanna as well when he put his hands on her sides and started to kiss her back when she was starting to pull away. That kiss Riley had given him had certainly been nice and unexpected but holy Tombstone was this a step above! Chuckling a little, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the favor quite happily. The two made out for several minutes before they finally stopped.

"Now what'd you think of that idea of fun Tex?" Lord knows she certainly loved it!

"Its… Um, wow." Was all he was able to get out as his brain tried to re-start and making the girl break out into pleased laughter.

 _I did good._ Thought the pleased girl from Kentucky.

Now he had never done something like that before and he certainly had no intention of tellin' his momma what happened as he didn't want a lecture over it! Deanna had seemed to know what she was doing and he liked that and he felt she seemed to like that he was giving back what he could despite his relative inexperience in that area of life. "Pardon me for sayin' this Kentucky, but I wouldn't mind doin' that again."

He got laughter in response but he didn't mind it one bit as he was pretty much on cloud 9 at that point. _Not too good with nicknames… But I like his for me anyway._

Pulling away from him and smirking when she noticed his frown over the loss of contact, she playfully told him that if he played his cards right it just might happen. "Ah reckon Ah'll hafta play some good hands then."

His sudden use of country slang made the girl burst into a fit of giggles and it was a sound that much like her laugh that Lucas liked hearing. "You're ha ha! On your way!" She managed to get out as Lucas started up the steps once he finally got his brain fully going.

"Good tah hear!" That made her giggle even more.

Once getting to the girls' room, Lucas quickly found Maya's stuff and grabbed the sketchpad and looked at her colored pencils to see which would be best to use as ones that would crap out right when the artist was really getting into would suck a great deal. Once he was satisfied with what he had, he nodded at Deanna and the two made their way back down stairs, turned off the light, opened the door and locked it, and made their way out while closing it. The two quickly made their way to the truck as much as they could as once again they definitely didn't want to fall on their butts. Lucas would be pleasantly surprised when the blue haired wonder laid another on him that he happily returned once they parked in the hospital's parking lot. Making for him to have a bit of a swagger in his walk once they got into the waiting room and he handed over what Maya needed.

And ten minutes later after the came in, which would include confusion on Lucas' part where Riley was concerned and some blushing from the teasing Deanna was doing with the raising of her eyebrows, winking, smirking at him, and biting her lip anytime she looked at him, a doctor in scrubs approached the group. Alan and Amy had quickly stood up and walked to meet the man on his path to them. "How's our son doctor?" Asked the father of four with worry in his voice as he put an arm around his wife.

"Had he been brought in any later it likely would have been worse then what it is right now. As it stands, he's got Bronchitis with a mild case of a Respiratory Infection. We have him on medications right now with the intention of keeping Josh over night to keep an eye on him. Depending on how things could go, your son may need to spend a day or two more here."

Amy was crying while feeling relieved they had managed to get him here before it had gotten the chance to be any worse. And she wasn't the only one feeling relieved as well by the news. "So he's gonna be okay?" Asked Riley with fear and hope in her voice.

The doctor smiled at her. "Yes ma'am, he's going to be just fine but he's likely going to need plenty of bed rest once he gets home thanks to his preemie status."

"Can we see him doctor?" Alan asked.

The man nodded. "You can as there's still some time left for visiting hours but he won't be awake anytime soon however as he's currently asleep thanks to the medications."

Alan nodded his understanding before turning back to look at the others. "I uhh… I know you probably all would like to see him right now but for now I think it would be best if Amy and I spent a litle time with him."

His request was one that absolutely none of them had a problem with. "Take all the time you need dad." Eric said seriously as Jessica put a hand on his shoulder in support and comfort while Katy hugged Maya as the girl started to cry in relief that things weren't a lot worse as Cory and Topanga comforted their children as well.

It'd be awhile before any of them saw the two again and Eric would have another of those moments when he went to God over something pretty darn serious.

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**Author's Notes: Figured ending it there would be a good idea to do. The verdict is out in regards to Josh and I'm curious on what any of you think about it. And before anyone fires off an angry review about Lucas being too young to make out with girls, consider this for a moment. Shawn himself was pretty much doing this almost as soon as he got into High School and he was only what? 14? Where as Lucas is 15 if Zay's remark about him being a year older is anything to go by. So the make out scenes aren't unrealistic in any way.**

**Its also pretty natural he'd wind up doing things with other girls who aren't Riley or Maya as well despite any feelings involved. Anyways… Hope you all enjoyed and R and R!**


	17. That Joshua Matthews Squad

**Disclaimer: And we's a rollin' on! Oh, and I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015 7:41 PM at the Hospital Waiting Room**

Nearly two days had passed since the doctor had informed the group of Josh's condition and they had yet to release him despite the fact he was on the mend. For Riley Matthews, this had certainly been quite the scary experience for her and a part of her hoped that her own children, along with the children of her best friends wouldn't ever experience something like what Josh had. Especially being born prematurely as he had been. Seeing her best friend and sister in all but blood look as shaken as she had had bothered the Pretty Brunette quite a bit as usually she was such a strong and fierce girl. It helped Riley to see that maybe she really did have more then just a crush on her uncle and it made her wonder how Lucas would handle it considering the two seemed to have more of a thing then what she and him ever did have. Course that more selfish part of her hoped it might make him turn into her direction again.

Which she had acknowledged as not really being that much of a great thing since she would likely feel like a second best choice. Not that that selfish side of her seemed to care any but she did her best to ignore it. Now she couldn't help but have an issue with that Deanna girl with the wildly blue hair. Oh, she wasn't actually doing anything bad, that much she could admit too but it was the fact she seemed to be keeping Lucas' attention and making him blush at times. It had made her want to scratch the girl's eyes out for even daring to think of trying anything with him! But at least she was being friendly with Farkle, Auggie, and even Maya when the blonde was receptive to interacting and not so focused on her sketching or thoughts of Josh. The girl had even given her friends and little brother nicknames too!

Riley did have to admit however that she liked the 'Bambi' nickname Deanna had given her as it was just really cute and definitely her. Something both Farkle and Lucas even admitted to be pretty fitting for her. And as Riley and everybody else waited and occasionally left when there was a need for it, Shawn and Morgan had yet to show up which Riley had found fairly odd but thought it might have something to do with weather conditions. It had been a real treat though to see Janitor Harley and his sister Theresa when they showed up to offer support. She even had this adorable little nickname for her dad too! Theresa as they would all find out had entered the field of therapy and specialized in helping out teenagers with bad home situations.

The Pretty Brunette thought it was a great thing and even her dad had to agree with it as he felt that if anyone could help them it would be her. Something Theresa had taken as a compliment and hugged her dad over. And surprisingly enough, she seemed to quickly develop a great rapport with Lucas, Maya, and Deanna and even told the three, plus Riley, Farkle, and Auggie to consider her as the really cool aunt and to call anytime they needed to vent about anything that was bothering them. Something Auggie could definitely get behind as to him she definitely looked cool! The sight of two Keiner siblings and Mr. Feeny was pretty wonderful to see and while she hadn't heard what was said, it obviously had been enough to get the two to hug him, action that made him somewhat surprised at first before hugging them back.

And currently Riley was watching as Mr. Feeny stared at Maya in silent contemplation as she went about sketching with a furrowed brow as she intensely concentrated on her work while singing quietly to herself a variation of the Jingle Bells song involving Lucas and the others. A sight that Riley honestly loved as it was rare to see such a thing from her best friend. "Miss Hart?" Spoke up the man at last.

Maya looked up at him in surprise as she hadn't even realized no one was near by her. "Oh, hey Feeny! S'up?"

Mr. Feeny's eyebrows raised up a bit as Riley shook her head at her best friend's greeting of the man. "Mr. Hunter has clearly been an influence upon you Ms. Hart." His tone wasn't condescending but more of that of someone making an observation.

Maya laughed at that. "Oh no, I was like this long before he came into my life. You can even ask Riley about that." She replied with a smile on her lips.

The good Feeny turned towards Riley who only nodded confirmation at that and then he gave his attention back to Maya. "Well, that's alright then." Better to be something similar to Shawn Hunter in some ways then some thuggish brute who didn't care for much he supposed.

Plus it was perfect karma as far as he was concerned considering young Cory is a teacher and Ms. Hart is his student. "So if you don't mind my commenting on it, I couldn't help but notice you were intensely concentrated on what you were drawing. Would you by chance be willing to allow me to see your work? As I've heard quite a bit about it and I've been awfully curious to see it for myself in person."

Both girls were very surprised to hear that and Maya wondered who exactly had been telling him about her passion for art. _I bet it was Matthews._ Had to be as he's one of her biggest supporters when it came to her making art and not giving it up.

She did have to admit though it was a little intense to be hearing that such a huge figure like Mr. Feeny wanted to see her art! "Yeah, umm… Okay!" She finally replied somewhat nervously and handed him her sketch pad.

Mr. Feeny took it gently from her and when he looked at her work he couldn't help but feel stunned by what he had in his hands. _Word of mouth and pictures have clearly done little justice when it comes to this young lady's skill in the arts._

The sketch consisted of young Joshua wielding a sword with a determined look on his face as he stood face to face with a shadowy creature with a red eye. The armor on the young man looked to be damaged and what scenery there was looked to be in some form of disarray as well. "Ms. Hart, this is remarkable. Simply remarkable."

The honesty in his voice made Maya feel very touched and it even drew in Alan as Amy was sitting with Josh, Eric, Jack, Deanna, and Tommy. "That should totally be in a comic book." Eric said seriously.

"Eric!" Reprimanded Alan sternly.

"What!? I'm just sayin'! Art that good in a comic would have me buyin' it just for that alone!"

Deanna had to agree with the man on that. "Heck, I would too."

Mr. Feeny then showed the sketch to everyone else as Maya felt even more touched by the praise she was getting. While she wasn't as into comics like Farkle, Zay, and Lucas were, the idea of a bunch of comic book readers seeing her art in their comics and even liking it a lot was a little on the mind boggling side to her as she still had trouble sometimes coming to grips with the fact that people genuinely loved her art. "Oh baby girl, I am so proud of you." Gushed Katy with a huge smile on her face.

"I think I can safely say that we all are." Commented Cory with a proud look on his face.

 _She'll go far if she's willing to go for it._ Thought the teacher.

Riley was truly happy for her best friend as she deserved all the praise she got. She started to feel a certain thing bubble up in her that wanted to come out but being in a hospital probably wasn't a good idea to let it out. She couldn't help the bouncing she started to do in her seat and everyone looked her way, causing her to blush in response. "Everything okay Ms. Matthews?" Asked Mr. Feeny in concern.

It wouldn't be her who answered but Maya instead with a little smile on her face. "Oh she's more then okay, aren't ya Honey?"

She could only get a nod from the girl as she tried to keep her mouth closed. A chuckle came from Maya over that while everybody else watched in curiousity or amusement due to knowing what was going on. "Come on, you know you wanna." Coaxed the Blonde Beauty.

That was enough for Riley to let loose as she could no longer contain it. "YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAYYY!" Came the happy shout of joy that had quite a few people looking their way in disapproval.

Maya broke out into full on laughter over that and Deanna, Lucas, and Farkle couldn't help but find Riley to be particularly cute in that moment. "Feel better sweetheart?" Asked an amused Topanga.

"Oh you have no idea!"

Gosh had it felt so good to do it! "Thats our Riley." Commented Farkle with what looked to be an adoring smile in the girl's direction.

And if the girl herself blushed a bit over it? No one was really going to comment on it aloud. _If I didn't know better, I'd think my son's heart has already been captured._ Mused Stuart to himself and wondered what his wife would think of it had she been there to see it instead of visiting her parents for a bit.

Mr. Feeny looked to Maya once again and handed her back her sketchpad. "Thank you Ms. Hart for allowing me to see such well done work. Something I hope to see more of in the future."

Her response surprised the man greatly as she jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you Mr. Feeny." She told him softly and not even caring that she properly addressed him.

"Quite welcome my dear, quite welcome." And if his returning the hug made her feel even more happiness? Then even better.

The group was quiet as they observed the tenderly touching moment with smiles on their faces. Though their attention was soon grabbed when a deep sounding 'Hoo!' chant could be heard coming in their direction. And leading the chanters was none other then Shawn Hunter himself as he and the others moved up and down as they slapped their knees and clapped their hands. The line of chanters came to a stop in front of everybody as they stared in confusion, interest, and mild amusement at them. A big fellow that Cory and the other adults knew as Frankie 'The Enforcer' Stecchino came out of the line and faced them. "We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad!" His voice proved a comment of Joey's that was once said to be very right about him sounding like an angel.

The line of people let out another 'Hoo!' chant followed by Morgan Matthews-Baker stepping out of the line and faced the group of family and friends. "And there ain't none other like the Joshua Matthews Squad!"

Joey 'The Rat' Epstein came out of the line next after another 'Hoo!' chant. "That's right! We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad!"

Jesse Abelman stepped up next. "That Joshua Matthews fella's a really cool guy all the ladies love! Cause he's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews!"

A Native American girl then stepped up next after another round of the chant. "We got that Preemie Squad status for life and like my boy Jesse said, that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews is a real cool dude!" And she would know considering their past history together as more than just friends for a time.

Shawn finally stepped up next with a huge smile on his face. "He's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews and he really is getting to be as cool as me! If not cooler! I told him once to never go out of town and hopefully he'll follow that advice here and now! Cause he's that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews!" Cory and Topanga were able to remember only one other time Shawn had sung and it had been great and this was proving to be equally great!

Then, the remaining teenagers lined up with the rest and sang together as a whole group. "We're that Joshua, Joshua, Joshua Matthews Squad and there ain't none other like it! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Those watching erupted into cheers and a lot of hugging occurred after that. You also might be wondering why that had been allowed to go on without being stopped and it was all due in part to a phone call or two Shawn had made to the hospital to ensure things would go off without a hitch. The hug Alan was giving to Shawn was a rather emotional one too as the older man had tears in his eyes over the gesture Shawn and the others had done. "Thank you son." Said the man in a heartfelt tone of voice.

"Anytime, anywhere Mr. Matthews. You guys are family."

A few seconds later would see Alan looking at the bunch Shawn had brought with him as he wrapped an arm around Morgan and kissed her on the forehead while keeping his other arm around Shawn. "What you've all done here today truly means more then I can say. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Frankie walked up to Alan with a smile and his hands clasped together in front of him. "It was a true honor to do sir. Joshua has proven to be a truly good person and I couldn't say no to Shawn when he made the request to me and Joey."

Morgan, Jesse, Native American girl, and the other teens all nodded in agreement about being unable to say no. "Yeah, my little brother still owes me five bucks." Added Morgan with a teasing smile.

A few years after graduation, Frankie and Joey had an idea involving the city's youth, an idea that Vader wouldn't like at all. Much as he didn't when it came to Frankie's decision to pursue other things like poetry instead of wrestling. Gaining assistance from Mr. Feeny and a few city officials, the two boys were able to start up a youth center aimed at helping to keep the youths of Philadelphia from being on the streets so much and also potentially preventing them from going down bad paths in life. The youth center turned out to be a hit with many of the youth in the city and parents as well. Theresa Keiner often visited and helped out with the kids there when Frankie or Joey couldn't exactly provide the right words they needed to hear. Unfortunately, they also had more then one run in with Mr. Mack and his Center.

The cause Mr. Feeny had started in trying to shut the man down had been taken up by Theresa, Frankie, and Joey and they always fought as hard as they could to prevent the man from taking any teenagers and twisting their minds with his words. The three, along with Mr. Feeny were seeking legal means to finally end the Center and had even gotten Cory and Topanga involved as well. It was taking time but they all felt confident they would succeed soon. Although Joey had a slight beef with Cory over Harley working as a janitor. As he felt his old boss should be doing something more then that kind of thing despite Harley himself telling his old underling he felt like he deserved what he got in life.

Morgan herself was still something of a sarcastic woman and her sarcasm had been used more than once to get under the skin of those she didn't particularly care for in her place of employment in the business world. Outside of her job, she was as sweet as can be, a fact her husband certainly loved as he had been exposed to her sarcastic side on more than one occasion before they got serious. The Native American girl known as Halona, which meant 'Of Happy Fortune' was like Josh and Jesse in that she too had been born premature and she'd been given her name after managing to survive what life had thrown her way when born. She, Josh, and Jesse formed a pretty solid group with several others that they liked to call 'The Preemie Squad' and were always willing to welcome newcomers to the group who had gone through similar experiences.

They were also always hanging out at the youth center Frankie and Joey ran and sometimes helped out with the problems of teenagers there or when an event was going on that needed extra hands. "So where's mom at dad?" Asked Morgan curiously as she hadn't seen her just yet.

"Oh she's in the room with your brother right now."

"So Shawn and I could go in then?" The fact she included him said a lot about what she thought of him and he honestly felt touched by it.

Alan nodded with a smile and the two went on as everybody else continued to mingle. Morgan was the first inside, causing Amy to look up and gasp in surprised happiness. Both soon found themselves in a hug by the woman that they were only to happy to return as Josh watched from his bed with a smile of his own. Grateful that he was awake for this and not knocked out from the medications he's having to take for his illness. "I am so happy to see the two of you!"

"Sorry for being so late Mrs. Matthews."

Amy looked at him as if he was crazy for even thinking of that. "Who says you were late Shawn? As far as I'm concerned, the both of you are right on time."

Her heartfelt response made Shawn quite happy and if Morgan were in a sarcastic mood she might have said something along the lines of him being all sappy. "That's my mom, always saying the right things."

"Comes with being a mother. Something I'm sure you will find out about when the time comes." Morgan rolled her eyes at her mom's subtle hint about grandchildren as Shawn and Josh watched on amused.

"Come on ma, the world's not ready for that kind of thing yet." Josh said cheekily and chuckling a little when Morgan poked her tongue out at him.

Shawn looked over at him before speaking. "You're being you and they still won't let you out of the hospital?"

"I know! I think its a conspiracy or somethin'." But man was he glad he wasn't having much trouble breathing anymore as the way he was sounding prior to getting put in here had sucked!

"Cory would probably know more then I would about that sort of thing." What, with him being a History teacher and all.

Josh considered that for a moment and had to agree that yeah, he probably would know! He then got a double helping of hugs from his uncle Shawn and big sister Morgan. "Had me worried about ya little brother." She told him softly.

"Same here kid, same here."

"Trust me, that definitely wasn't my intention. Everybody I love is here and I don't wanna go out of town cause of that." The thought of that happening scared him more then he wanted to admit.

A chuckle escaped Shawn as he pulled out of the hug and looked at his nephew. "Not only are you getting to be as cool as me, but you're also getting to be as wise as me." The writer/photographer was happy Josh had taken those particular words to heart as well as he had after a little talk they had a few years ago.

"What can I say? I've had some good teachers in my life."

"You're absolutely right about that!" Replied Morgan as with a bunch like them how can you not learn something?

The two, along with Amy and various others would talk with Josh for a little while longer until visiting hours were over and it was time for him to get some rest via the meds that were helping him get better. Pretty much everybody would get to hug him before leaving and the soon to be college bound Matthews was feeling grateful as could be by the end of it all. He was a little surprised though when Maya pecked him on the cheek during her hug and gave him a little wink before walking off. That girl really was something else in his view and whoever got to be with her would be lucky as can be.

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**Author's Notes: I hope you guys loved this chapter. It certainly took me time to finish it but it was worth it 100 percent! The song bit (which clearly shows I'm a bit horrible at lyrics writing) had been something I was really looking forward to writing after I thought about it and I'm glad I finally got too. Up next: Christmas Eve arrives and Josh gets to go home. R and R!**


	18. A Confrontation with Deanna

**Disclaimer: Let's get boogie! And as always I own nothing. I do make some great tea though!**

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**Thursday, December 24th, 2015 5:10 PM at the Matthews' Home**

Wednesday had come and gone and with it had seen Josh be released from the hospital much to his and everyone else's happiness. Of course he'd been told he'd need to take some medications until he was completely better and to rest as much as he could until then as he didn't want to cause problems for himself. Now he didn't mind the chance to rest up as much as he could but it did mean it'd be sucky in one aspect. Which was not being able to do much with Auggie while the little guy was there. But he would certainly try and make up for it the next chance he got. When Auggie learned of what his uncle had to do, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that they would do something together the next chance they got after he was all better.

Josh was all too willing to agree to that condition and more than one person found that to be fairly adorable. After they had gotten home, Alan himself had made it clear to Joey, Frankie, Harley, Theresa, and the Preemie Squad that they were all more than welcome to spend Christmas with them if they wanted too. Something they all had greatly appreciated and told the man they would come by if time allowed for it. A little while after Josh had been brought home and he'd gone to rest up in his bedroom, Riley would corner Lucas for a little talk where Deanna was concerned. It wouldn't exactly go as she expected since he believed that the situation with the blue haired wonder was nothing like the time with Missy and that if she actually talked to her, that she would see that for herself.

So she finally decided to see for herself and if need be, get the girl to see that she should look elsewhere for a boyfriend. Which brings us to now on Thursday and in the living room of the Matthews' home. Everyone else was occupied with one thing or another that also may or may not involve her grandfather's store and helping to close up for the night due to Christmas the next day. Riley had got to watching some Christmas movie she came across on the tv while she waited for Deanna to come over and naturally right when she was really getting into it, the girl herself shows up while wearing purple boots, blue jeans, and some red band sweater with a hoodie. Her blue hair was in a braid as well.

Riley, along with Wendy and Auggie had stayed at the house to keep an eye on Josh and so that Auggie wouldn't get bored while at the store. Mr. Feeny was also a phone call away if he was seriously needed for anything as well.

"Hey there Bambi! Heard ya wanted to talk?"

Riley muted the tv and stood up with a smile on her face. "Yes, yes I did actually. And thank you for coming by the way."

"Hey it gets me out of Uncle George's house so its all good for me." She hadn't really had any desire to go driving and ol' Tex was off doing something or other with his momma's family for the time being and the blonde girl with the mad art skills hadn't been around that much either to chill with. Or at least that's what she thought Tex was doing anyway since neither had exchanged phone numbers just yet.

But she was willing to chill with Bambi as she hadn't had much opportunity to talk with the girl. The fact she got some jealous vibes off the brunette had made her curious and figured this talk might have something to do with that. "I invited you over because I wanted to talk with you about Lucas."

Deanna raised an eyebrow at that and sat down on the couch after the girl did. "Alright, what about him?"

"I really don't think its appropriate that you two are hanging out so suddenly."

"Bambi, we just connected faster then most do is all. Its nothin' to worry about." Tried the girl but it seemed the brunette wasn't having it.

"It is something to worry about! It could hurt my best friend and I don't want that for her!"

Deanna wasn't too sure about that one however as Blondie seemed a lot stronger then that. "Considerin' she's been a slight bit occupied with that uncle of yours, I think you might be worried for nothin' where she's concerned."

The blue haired wonder could tell Bambi wasn't liking her responses and decided to speak up before she could do so herself. "And I have to wonder though, is it really Blondie you're worried about in all this? Or is it just you havin' some jealousy issues?"

Riley immediately denied any jealousy on her part as she stood up. "And of course I'm worried about Maya! She likes him and he likes her, but you being around is going to make it that much harder for them to get together!" Not that she would admit the fact she's a factor herself in the whole thing between the two. Bad enough Maya had a crush on her uncle and who knows how Lucas felt about that.

Deanna shook her head as she could tell the girl's own jealousy was a factor even though she was trying to deny it. "You seem to be forgetting one little thing in all this." Started the girl and making Riley look down at her in confusion.

"Tex is probably never gonna see me again after Christmas cause I'm here in Philly and he's in New York with you guys. So me bein' in the way like you seem to think I'm gonna be is just not gonna happen." Although she did have to admit to at least herself that possibly not seeing him again for however long would suck as she had quickly come to like the guy. His not being a bad kisser despite a lack of experience was a nice bonus too.

"But you could always drive there to see him! Plus calling, texting, and emailing!"

_Got a point there._

"And if any of that happens, then it happens and is our business. If Blondie has an issue with it she can always speak up for herself instead of you doin' it on her behalf."

The frustrated look on the younger girl's face and the way she crossed her arms told Deanna that her calm, laid back responses was really getting to the girl. Which only told her that the girl was the one with the real issue as she'd been thinking previously. "Well I don't like it!"

Deanna just shrugged at her. "I'm sorry to hear that but its just the way it is." A thought popped into her head and she had to grin inside her mind as she knew doing it outside of that would tip Bambi off to the fact she had something devious in mind.

"And uhh… Here's a question for ya cutie pie. Is it really me you're jealous of? Or are you actually jealous its Lucas I'm doin' anything with instead of you?"

Riley just stared at her in shock for several moments and the blue haired wonder had to keep from laughing at the sight. "I umm… What? No! That's, that's not it at all!" Spluttered the girl in a freaked out way.

"Are ya sure? That reaction plus the blushin' tells me a very different story." Not that she was actually blushing but she couldn't help but mess with the girl even more!

"I am not blushing! And you are turning this into something its not!" As really! She liked boys thank you very much!

"Hey, its totally cool if you're into girls and boys ya know? Its becomin' a lot more acceptable in this day and age." Lord knows she liked girls as much as she did boys.

_Oh my God! Does she like girls in a more then friends kind of way!? She is SO not right for Lucas!_

"Are… Are you gay?" Asked Riley hesitantly. Now she liked to think of herself as open minded but the way things had suddenly gone was really starting to freak her out some.

Deanna stood up, took a few steps towards Riley, and leaned in a little too close for Riley's comfort. "I'm bi actually. Which means I get the best of both worlds." Replied the girl with a grin and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Eep!" Deanna had to keep from laughing after that but couldn't help but find that sound to be pretty cute.

Another thought came to her and she knew it was likely to freak out the little cutie pie even more. "You wanna see what its like? I bet it'd be an amazin' first kiss for ya."

"I um… L-Lucas was my first kiss. Actually I uhh, I kissed him first but it was you know, my um... My first kiss when it happened."

"Aww that's so sweet! But I'd be more than happy to be your first kiss with another girl." Deanna told her with another suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows and enjoying the Hell out of the fact she was getting the girl so darn flustered!

Riley gaped at her and things were silent between the two until Riley hauled butt up stairs, leaving Deanna to watch her as she left with a huge smile on her face. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down on the couch. "Well I think that worked out pretty well. A whole lot of fun too!" Grabbing the remote, she un-muted the tv and had the brief thought that she wouldn't mind doing something like that again with Bambi. Who knows, maybe she'd actually get her to blush too!

A few minutes later would see a line of Matthews', Harts, a Friar, two Hunters, a Murphy, and the Minkus' enter the house with Maya in the lead who happened to be wearing a blue bandanna on her head. "I do the Hoo! Hoo!" Chanted the group as they came in and looking quite tired but happy now that they were all there.

Maya and Lucas plopped down next to Deanna on opposite sides of her as Farkle pretty much just fell to the floor, making Deanna a bit concerned since no one else seemed to be about it. "Shouldn't there be some concern over that?"

"Nah, he practically does it all the time Blue."

"Its when he starts talkin' in other languages that you need to be feelin' worried then." Added in Lucas tiredly.

"Oh, well, okay then." And with that, the three teens got absorbed into what was on the screen as the adults either conked out where they could or went to go help Wendy and her mother with the dinner they were preparing.

For Stuart Minkus as he sat in the recliner and his wife leaning into him as she sat on his lap, today was perhaps the most hardest he'd worked in some time. But he couldn't deny that he loved every bit of it. Alan Matthews had done a tremendous job over the years with Matthews' Goods and the expansion of it from its original size was a testament to that as well. He was wondering if Mr. Matthews would be willing to allow him to invest in the store so that it wouldn't potentially face any serious troubles for another number of years. As it is, the gift he and his wife had in mind after the recent events with Joshua was bound to upset the man if he had a huge amount of pride in him.

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**Author's Notes: I am probably a very horrible man for that scene between Riley and Deanna.** **But I can't deny I enjoyed writing it!** **Though if anyone thinks Riley was out of character with the confrontation, then you might want to remember how she acted where Missy was concerned.** **I'm also unsure if the little chant is the actual Mayaville chant but it seemed the closest to it so I went with that. But if its not that, then please do let me know!**

**And if anyone happens to get where Deanna's last line comes from after Riley hauls butt then you win a No Prize! I kinda figured the store Amy bought and Alan essentially took over would manage to do pretty well and even expand its size to accommodate the increase of customers.** **Even though it is a Sporting Goods and Outdoor Supply store. R and R!**


	19. Gifts and Surprise Announcements

**Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing but what you see here. Which kind of sucks but that's life! Now… Let's roll on! Special thanks to the guest who told me what the actual Mayaville chant might be. And the quote of the hour. "I'm on an emotional roller coaster." Cory Matthews during the dinner scene with Wendy at his house in the episode 'Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard To Do'.**

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**Friday, December 25th, 2015 Christmas Day 6:22 PM in the Matthews' Living Room**

The day had so far turned out to be a pretty wonderful one so far. Wendy and Lucas had spent time at her family's home and a phone call was made out to not only Jefferson, but to Zay and Pappy Joe as well, though he had to avoid some of the more sugary treats Grandma Jansen had made. The Minkus and Bassett families wound up gathering all together in one place for their Christmas gathering that would be able to accommodate them all pretty easily and it proved to be quite the experience too for Farkle. One of his cousins had even brung a girlfriend with them who brought a friend of her's along as well who seemed to take an immediate liking to Farkle after seeing him. Though she wasn't too happy when he turned her down while explaining he has a girlfriend back home. Thankfully she didn't push the issue after that but she did tell him if that didn't work out to either call her up or come search for her on Facebook with a little suggestive wink.

Mr. Pip as Deanna had referred to him as had to be careful to not let her see him throw away her phone number while he was at the Christmas Festivities as while he wasn't interested, he still didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings or get her mad at him for that matter. Shawn had taken the lovely Hart ladies, along with Jack to visit Chet Hunter's grave, and then to visit his family down at the trailer park which had been a real treat to Maya as they were all quite the bunch. Especially where uncle Mike was concerned! He'd even taught her the family motto of 'We didn't do it' since he felt she and the other two Hart ladies were as good as family. Something she honestly appreciated while Katy wasn't too sure about the motto but left it be.

There'd even be a rather entertaining argument between Mike and Shawn about trading in Chet's old mobile home for a motorcycle that the older man could help him get. Shawn had countered that something like that wasn't really needed since he couldn't fit three people on a motorcycle. Mike had conceded to the fairly good point with a raised eyebrow and a nod of his head. Eddie hadn't been a real big favorite since he just screamed trouble Maya, Gammy Hart took a shine to aunt Debbie as the woman knew her interest when it came to Bull fighting. Something Maya hoped a certain Ranger Rick wouldn't ever get the dumb idea to try and do.

Shawn's sister Stacey hadn't been able to make it home for Christmas due to her job as a hair stylist for some singer but did send a few postcards with hair care tips written on them. For Jack, this was another of those times where he felt he had really missed out in growing up with the Hunter family but was still none the less grateful for how things did turn out. And when he thought about it, he still had plenty of time to be around them now to make up for lost time. Even though a few of the more notorious members of the Hunter family made him nervous as Hell since they gave off a vibe that said 'look at me wrong and I'll rob ya blind!'

The Feeny clan enjoyed themselves a nice quiet holiday but George did have to admit his nervousness was growing about the present he had in mind to give to the Matthews/Hunter clan. The former teacher had even automatically included the Friars, Stuart's family, young Thomas, and the Harts into that considering their closeness to the Matthews/Hunter clan. A closeness he wagered would last lifetimes. While he and his family enjoyed their day together, the Matthews' did the same by opening presents first and leaving a few be for their additonal friends who were more like family then just friends. Tommy felt honored to even be considered a Matthews, something Josh was all too happy to claim hiim as much to Eric's happiness. A little after 6:00 PM would see Lucas and Wendy make their way to the Matthews' home and about twenty minutes into it, Eric along with Riley went to the fence to call out to Mr. Feeny.

Josh would have came along but didn't want to risk potentially getting sick all over again so he stayed by the kitchen window to see the whole thing. Tommy and Lucas followed along to see what Eric would do to get the older man out of his house. "I get to see the master at work." Said Riley happily as it was always fun to watch him do the Feeny Call.

"That's right my little Neitch. You gonna join me?"

"Are you sure? I mean I know you passed the Feeny Call to me but I thought you would want to do it on your own."

"Of course I'm sure! Its only right after all that me and my Neitch do this together." He told her as he layed a hand on her shoulder and looking her right into the eyes.

Riley could see how serious he was being and it made her happy that he wanted her to do it with him. "Yay!" Eric smiled at that and told her to the count of three to start the call.

"Mr. Feeny!" Called out the two together.

"Oh Mr. Feeny!" Added Riley seconds later with a big smile on her face.

"Fuh-fuh-fuh-Feeny! Mistah Feenay!"

This went on for several minutes while Tommy and Lucas were pretty much laughing their butts off at the sight of the whole thing. The two Feeny Callers would suddenly go silent however when Mr. Feeny himself placed his hands over their mouths to silence them. A sight that had Josh laughing from on the inside of the house. At least until Maya spooked him from behind with a 'boo!' "Must you use the Call on Christmas Eric?" Asked George while Lila, Jessica, and Deanna all watched with smiles on their faces behind him.

Eric nodded since the older man had yet to remove his hand. George sighed and removed his hands from the two's mouths. "Well we had to get you out of the house somehow." Eric told him while Riley nodded with a smile.

"And it never occurred to the two of you to walk over and knock on the door?"

The two looked at one another before looking back at him. "Nope!" The two told him at the same time with big ol' happy smiles on their faces.

They were quite surprised when Mr. Feeny broke out into laughter seconds later after looking at them so seriously. "Uhh… What's, what's so funny Mr. Feeny?" Asked Eric as he was very confused! And he wasn't the only one for that matter either!

Gaining control of himself, the man answered him. "It pleases me to know that some things will never end."

"Well it is a classic and shouldn't ever end." Spoke up Riley.

"Too true my dear, too true." George told her with a smile as he opened up the gate and the two moved away from it for him to come through, followed by his family members.

Eric was even more surprised when the older man pulled him into a hug. "Merry Christmas Eric." He told him warmly.

"You too Mr. Feeny."

The two pulled away from the hug and George looked to Riley next. "A lovely Merry Christmas to you as well Ms. Matthews." And it wasn't him who initiated the hug this time but her.

Riley pulled away a few seconds later and looked up at him. "Come on Grandpa George, let's go inside."

George looked down at her in surprise over that. "Grandpa?"

"Mm-hmm, to me you are practically our great-grandfather due to how long you've been in everyone's lives and the fact you care so much."

Lila and Jessica had pleased smiles on their faces while Deanna was grinning and giving the girl two thumbs up. "That's muh Nietch!" Eric called out proudly.

"Oh, well… I am honored you think that way about me." Said the man and feeling very touched by the young girl's words.

No further words were said as the two walked into the house and the others following along behind them with smiles on their faces. _Bambi done good._

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Stuart, Jennifer, and Farkle came in and more then one person could tell the young genius was looking a little freaked out as he sat down next to his friends while his parents started conversing with the other adults. "Gee Farks, you look a little weirded out. See something you didn't like?" Asked Maya jokingly.

"What!? There wasn't any Mistletoe! Or phone numbers given! Nothing I say!"

Lucas, Maya, Riley, and Deanna all looked at one another in confusion over that. "Who said anything about Mistletoe buddy?" Wondered Lucas with a confused look on his face who also had his arm behind Maya as well.

Farkle looked at his best friend with that panicked and freaked out look on his face. "Nobody! Nobody said anything about that! Why would you bring it up!?" He then started to speak in another language in a fast paced way.

Causing Riley to rush over to him to try and get him to calm down by gently shaking him. "Farkle! Breathe! You're talking in another language that we can't understand!" Though she briefly wondered if uncle Shawn would know.

He looked into her eyes as she looked into his and it seemed like an eternity passed for the two while the others watched on. Riley's calming presence seemed to help soothe the freaked genius and snap out of non English talking moment. "Right… Um… Thank you Riley. I needed that." Ohh how he hoped Isadora wouldn't get too angry with him for something that wasn't even his fault!

"Anytime partner." She then moved behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder to help be a continuing presence of calmness.

Jennifer had been tempted to come over and gush to her son's friends about his first big kiss but seeing the rather sweet moment between her boy and Riley made her think otherwise. Seeing the two interact in the way they had just now made her wonder if there was more than friendship that the two didn't exactly realize was there. The journey to them realizing it would certainly be an interesting one in her view as well. She just hoped it wouldn't take the two years to figure it out. Jennifer had long suspected as it is that her son's feelings for Riley hadn't ever gone away, even as he began dating Isadora Smackle. Course with that young lady at the Minkus/Bassett Christmas gathering laying a kiss on him like she did with the Mistletoe might present a problem if Isadora has jealousy issues in some form despite her Aspergers.

"So! If my thinking is right, there was Mistletoe, possibly a girl, and you. Said possible girl laid one right on ya didn't she?"

Maya then grinned smugly. "Yeah, see? I know stuff." She was just lazy is all unless it had to do with art. That and school was kind of difficult for her for some reason where her eyes were concerned.

"Nobody ever thought ya didn't Shortstack." Defended Lucas and got a smile in return as the Blonde Beauty knew that at least he didn't since awhile back he had shared his distaste over the fact that some liked to assume she didn't know certain things. He also had distaste for the fact that Riley liked to use her homelife to try and cheer others up.

"I can neither confirm or deny that. For such things could reach Isadora's ears and I fear what she might do." Heck, she had an in with NASA for Science's sake!

Riley patted him on the shoulder in comfort. "Its okay, nobody but you will say anything to her about any of that. Right?" She fixed her best friend and Lucas a look that meant she was serious.

"Hey, that's between the two of them." Spoke up Lucas with one of his hands raised in a defensive gesture.

"Oh sure, ruin my fun but okay." Added Maya fake grumpily as even she didn't want to see those two crazy kids have issues.

"Have ya thought about callin' your girl Pip?" Asked Deanna curiously from her spot on the couch.

Farkle shook his head in the negative. "I uhh, didn't think it'd be appropriate to talk about that kind of thing on Christmas day."

Deana could understand that but she knew that could potentially backfire on the guy in the long run. "I get that, but if you wait a day to tell her, she might think somethin' that's not necessarily true." Farkle had to admit the blue haired girl had a very good point.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about anyway. That girl is crazy about you and its not like you're the type to cheat." Added Maya with a shrug. Heck, it was his first real serious relationship so why would he want to screw that up!?

"See!? Nothing to worry about at all." Threw in Riley with a smile.

But before more could be said, Alan made an appearance as he clapped his hands together. "Right, we're all here now so who wants to open up presents!?" The family man had to admit it'd been pretty nice to have those like Frankie and Joey, Harley and his sister, and the Preemie Squad come by through out the day when they got the chance too and a part of him wouldn't have minded if they were here right now to enjoy the moment about to happen.

He received a loud chorus of 'Me's!' from the group, causing him to laugh over it. "Ha ha, I think I have my answer!" His family having opened theirs earlier on in the day was going to make this so much easier in his view.

"Can I pass out the ones I got for everybody first Mr. Matthews?"

"Hey! Why does he get the 'Mr.' and I don't!?" Asked a scandalized Cory.

Maya looked to her teacher with a smirk on her face. "Cause, you're you and he's him."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh sure it does, you're my teacher, he's not." She told him as if that explained everything as everybody else in the living room enjoyed the show between the two.

"Well that's not fair!"

"Hey, that's the rules Matthews, I didn't make 'em but I sure do help out with 'em."

Cory looked at her and he wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. Especially with that smirk of her's. "You're just messin' with me aren't ya?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out years from now." Cory harrumphed, causing for Maya to laugh at him. God how she loved messing with him!

_This is really one of those moments where she's more then just my daughter's best friend and my student, she's more like a snarky second daughter. But I wouldn't have it any other way._

"Ah, just pass out your presents already! But remember that payback will be oh so sweet!"

Maya laughed at him again and honestly looked forward to seeing what he would try and do to get her back for the lip she gave him. She gave him a thumb's up before grabbing the presents and passed them around. Once they got theirs, each of them opened their gifts one at a time. Topanga received a light green t-shirt with the phrase 'Fierce, Amazon Warrior.' on the front of it in huge black letters. Something the mother of two but more like three where Maya was concerned gave the girl a hug in thanks and appreciation as she really loved it. Cory got blue t-shirt with the phrase 'History with Mr. Matthews, you can't say its ever boring.' in big white letters. He was honestly touched and pleased by that and happily gave her a hug. "You're a big sweetheart ya know that right?" He asked her softly, making her roll her eyes at him but smiling anyway.

"Shh, something like that would ruin my rep if it got out."

Cory chuckled and went back to his spot next to Topanga. Auggie's was a white t-shirt with a picture of Maya, himself, and Riley dressed as pirates. "Awesome! Thanks Maya!" Happily cheered the young boy as he rushed to give her a hug as well that she happily returned as she had his parents' hugs.

Riley's wasn't a shirt, but a painting with her as a beaming ray of sunshine that cast its light over many cute bunnies. The brunette squealed in happiness and hugged her best friend in thanks while making sure to be careful to not drop it. "When did you find time to make this!?"

"A few days before we came here actually." Which answered for Riley on why her best friend and sister in all but blood wasn't letting her see one of her work in progresses last week.

"I love it Maya." Said the girl sincerely and gave her best friend another hug.

Farkle received a mini-statue of the planet Mars with the inscription 'Farkle Nation' at the base of it, Lucas got a red jersey with the numbers 01 on the back and atop it the name 'Huckleberry', Alan and Amy received two navy blue t-shirts with the phrase 'Awesome Grandpa Matthews' and 'Awesome Grandma Matthews' in white lettering, Stuart and Jennifer got matching sweaters with the phrase 'I Helped Make A Genius!', Josh received a green t-shirt with the phrase 'This Uncle Boing Is Maya Hart's Property', something that spiked a bit of jealousy in Lucas momentarily til he forced it down. Katy got a pink shirt with the phrase 'Hard Workin' Momma' and Shawn received black t-shirt with the phrase 'The Last Yeah Belongs To Maya Hart'.

Gammy Hart received a red t-shirt with the phrase that said 'Death Is Scared Of Me'. Maya made an apology to the Feenies, Jack, Morgan, and Eric for not having anything for them as she wasn't quite sure what to get for them after the last shared hug by Katy, Gammy Hart, and Shawn.

Course she barely knew Jack as it is so that made a lot of sense. The Feenies told her it was understandable, as did Eric. "One question though babygirl, how did you even manage to afford all this?"

"Let's just say I know people down in the subway." That and she may have sold a painting or two and did sketch requests for folks down there when she wasn't at school, home, Topanga's, Riley's, or any of their friends' places.

"Should I be concerned about that?"

Maya shook her head negatively. "Nah! As much as I've been down there, I've become pretty cool with a lot of them." She had their backs if it was needed and they had her's when needed. Which thankfully wasn't needed all that much.

Unknown to her though, Lucas was feeling a might bit protective of his Blonde Beauty and planned to do a little hanging around down there to ensure she'd be okay. Of course he'd have to make sure she didn't catch a glimpse of him or have word reach her that he was watching her. As no doubt she'd not be happy! Several others, including Katy was thinking along the same thing too. "I think, for my own peace of mind sweetheart, I'm going to take a trip down there with you just to be safe."

Maya didn't argue with that as she got the concern her mom had over it. "Trust me mom, you're gonna love some of the people down there." Heck, she learned a few lessons about Etiquette and proper walking from Gretchen and her friend Aria for cryin' out loud!

Instead of answering, Katy chose to wrap her daughter in a hug and kissed the top of her head. Alan then asked who was next and George was the first to speak up. "Oh, well you may fire when ready." Joked Alan.

"Thank you Alan. Now I must say first of all of how happy I am to see all of you here today on Christmas. As it truly warms my heart to the fullest. I don't have gifts in the physical sense however, but this one I feel is just as good."

"You saved the Polar Bears' problem with having cold places to go?" Asked Eric curiously.

George gave him a confused look over that one. "Umm, no. I'm afraid not."

"Aww darn it!" Groused the good Senator, making for a few laughs afterwards.

The long time and former teacher hesitated as he knew what he was about to say would cause quite a few reactions to happen. "My gift to all of you, even if I don't necessarily know you quite that well just yet. Is that I love you all very much."

Silence reigned in the living room just before pandemonium broke out over the older man's words.

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**Author's Notes: Hope the wait for this one was worth it! I probably could have cut this in half instead of making it as long as I did but I felt doing it like this was for the best with the full on thing. I also kinda figured Maya would know some of the folks in the subway pretty well at this point. Especially considering the pilot episode and all that featured Weasel, Gretchen, and her un-named friend who's real name is actually Aria. And since they pretty much retconned Shawn's sister Stacey out of the show, I decided to retcon that retcon. R and R!**


	20. Even More Gifts and Surprise Announcements

**Disclaimer: You guys are awesome, like seriously awesome. And as usual, I own nothing but what you see here. And you're quote of the day. "No, you're the voice of Irritation." "Oh, I'm that too." My mom and me a few weeks ago.**

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Shortly after George Feeny's declaration to the entire Matthews clan and extended family, pandemonium broke out in the living room. The ladies either started crying or fainting aside from Morgan who found the whole thing funny as heck, the men acted like their heads were cut off with no clue of what to do, and Katy, Gammy Hart, Maya, Auggie, Farkle, Lucas, and Deanna were all confused as heck with the whole thing! Okay, so the ladies weren't actually fainting or crying and the men weren't exactly running about like chickens with their heads cut off. But Topanga sure had tears in her eyes over her long time teacher's surprising words as it reminded her of when Eric had tried to get him to tell them how he felt about them shortly before they left for New York.

"I KNEW IT!" Shouted Eric gleefully and made his way over to Mr. Feeny with a tight hug to the side of him and a huge watery smile on the Senator's face.

Mr. Feeny soon found himself covered in hugs by a tearful Topanga who wasn't alone in that area where Cory and Shawn were concerned as the three hugged the older man. Those in the room couldn't help but smile at the touching scene, even the more confused bunch of the group as well. "See? You really are pretty much everyone's grandfather." Spoke up Riley happily.

"Well, its a role I certainly don't mind." Admitted George as he couldn't think of a better bunch to be a grandfather or perhaps great-grandfather of then those in the living room he stood in.

"What took ya so long to even tell us that?" Asked Morgan curiously.

"Ah he was just scared is all." Spoke up Eric from his spot.

His remark however made George somewhat indignant. "I was not! I was still pretty much your teacher then and it didn't feel appropriate to say at the time!" Even if he did say the words after they left…

Lila however knew full well that wasn't the case but she wasn't about to say anything as it his place to do so. "The important thing is that we all know now." Came Topanga's slightly muffled voice and it was something everybody could agree on.

It'd take around 20 minutes before the four were able to compose themselves, along with getting pulled off Mr. Feeny as well in Eric's case since he didn't want to let go. Tommy couldn't help but ask what he thought the media would say about it and Eric countered that they would see a young man giving his grandfather a hug and nothing more. A response Tommy couldn't quite argue with as it was pretty much true. Though he knew there would be some who would try and spin it in a very wrong way. After Mr. Feeny returned to his wife's side, Shawn wound up going next for the gift giving. He gave Cory access to a free lifetime supply of rolls thanks to a friend of his through _Hit The Road_ much to the other man's immense happiness while Topanga rolled her eyes in fake exasperation.

For Topanga, he gave her a book on meditation that he picked up on his travels and she loved it a great deal. Riley and Maya both got books on photography and art with a note by him saying to create something wonderful together when possible, he gave Katy a necklace with the Kanji symbols Strength and Love on it, something that got him a big ol' kiss from the lovely mother as well. A scene that also got a bunch of cute little awws from everybody til he stuck his tongue at them playfully after the kiss ended. He gave Auggie a new first edition Mr. Googly bear that talked when you squeezed it. For Alan and Amy, they received a book of poetry filled with poems about family that he himself had written. "You guys were the best example I ever had about good families, and its because of that that I made you two that book." There was emotion heard in his voice and the two hugged him.

"Shawn, Alan and I are happy to have given you that example. And I hope we will continue to do so in the years to come."

"And I hope that you will be able to pass that example on to whoever winds up in your life son."

Looking at both of them, he gratefully smiled at them as his heart swelled up in happiness over the two he considered parents to him just as they saw him as a son. "Thank you, I really hope I'll be able to do that."

"I think you'll do us proud Shawn." Alan told him with a strong grip on his shoulder and a wide smile on his face.

Shawn certainly hoped so and wondered if he would be doing something like that with Katy and Maya, even though she likely already had a pretty great example of a really good family thanks to Cory and Topanga. A few minutes later would see him giving matching tweed jackets to Mr. Feeny and Lila and the jackets looked exactly like the one Mr. Feeny always seemed to wear over the years he taught them. Lila had gotten a chuckle out of that as she herself had always been rather fond of it. Shawn then gave each of them a hug. For Jack, he got him a Mick Foley documentary while Eric received a detailed how to dvd on how NOT to get beaten up by girls while trying to defend yourself against them. Something the two rolled their eyes over while Topanga laughed over it as she remembered that particular day pretty well.

Afterwards, he looked at Gammy Hart, Josh, the Minkus clan, the Friars, Jessica, Deanna, and Tommy with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry guys, I really wasn't sure what to get any of you." They were quick to tell him not to worry too much about it as it was understandable. Though Josh told him what he did at the hospital with the others prior to coming in and seeing him was the only gift he needed.

Something he appreciated hearing. "Alright, I've got one more gift. Its more of a gift for everybody and something of an announcement."

"You've decided to finally become a plumber?" Stuart's question got him a slap to the arm by Jennifer but Shawn knew he wasn't being serious.

"Sorry to disappoint Mr. Suck Up, but no." Stuart snapped his fingers in fake disappointment, causing for laughter to happen.

Shawn took a deep breath before continuing with what he was about to say. "Alright… So you all know I pretty much travel all around these days and even found Katy and Maya in the process thanks to certain meddlers. Yeah, none of you fooled me for a second but its okay as it has been worth it."

After all, he was one half of the King of Schemes and he could smell a scheme from a mile away. "Hey, it was all Riley buddy! I retired but she pulled me right back in!"

"Oh you loved it daddy and you know it!"

Cory shrugged, as she had him there! "Yeah, yeah I did." Admitted the man with a smile while Shawn shook his head in amusement.

"Anyways… Moving on before you two get all huggy and sugary. I have finally decided to stop traveling all over the place and settle down." He was interrupted when Cory himself let out a loud yay in response to that bit of happy news.

Chuckling, Shawn continued on and he couldn't help but notice his two girls were leaning in their seats in anticipation of what he was about to say next. "The guys at _Hit The Road_ weren't exactly happy but they understood the reasons behind it and helped me get a local writing/photography gig in New York."

"OH YAY!" Cheered Cory happily who was practically hopping up and down in sheer joy and Maya promised to use that against him at some point in the future. Though she couldn't deny she was happy as can be about Hunter's words as it meant she and her mother would be able to see him more now!

Katy herself was hardly believing what she was hearing but she couldn't deny the surge of happiness that practically wanted to burst out of her heart. "And last but not least, a certain apartment above Cory and his family's is now taken by me and Little Cory."

"You still have that pig!?" Asked Jack in shock.

Shawn looked to him in amusement but in the corner of his eye he could see Katy practically shaking. "Well yeah man of course I do. That little guy has got years in him yet."

Riley thought it was weird her uncle has a pig named after her dad, but then again those two were a level of weird only they could achieve. Topanga turned her attention to her husband as she was curious about why he hadn't said anything yet. And considering the shocked state he was in told her why that was. "Aren't you gonna say 'yay' again honey?" Which wow, okay! Talk about deja vu there!

Cory tried to say something but all that got out was a squeak and a little movement of his arms. "YES!" Screamed out Katy in sheer excitement as she jumped out of her seat, hugged the life out of her man, and then kissed him soundly!

Something he was all too happy to return! Maya herself was brimming with excitement and Lucas had a soft smile in the girl's direction as he knew the Blonde Beauty was happier then can be at this particular point in time. Riley leaned over with a smile of her own. "Let loose Peaches!"

"YYYYAAAAAAYYY!" Shouted the girl in pure happiness, which broke her mom and Shawn out of the very enjoyable and soul searing kiss and motioned for her to join them. Something she happily did without hesitation.

_I told her she was going to get everything she ever wanted in life!_

And what do ya know? She was being proven right! After the hug ended, the three stayed closely together as neither wanted to be a part from the other while further presents were given out. Thankfully for Stuart, when he told Amy and Alan that he and his wife paid off the medical bill they were no doubt going to get for Josh's time in the hospital, the reactions had been a lot better then hoped for. His explanation for their being so willing to welcome him into their home back when he was younger had been a primary motivation for him and he wanted to return the kindness they gave him. The two elder Matthews' wound up even giving him a hug and pretty much said that he and his family were part of their family now. More so now then what they already were as it is due to Farkle and Riley's friendship. The Minkus clan greatly appreciated that and were proud to be part of such a fantastic and welcoming family.

Shortly after the presents were all given out, dinner preparations began and Josh went up to his room to rest a little after all the excitement. It'd be around thirty minutes later when Cory finally broke out of his state of shock and hugged the ever loving crap out of his best friend much to everybody else's amusement and laughter. This Christmas in everyone's view was pretty much the best darn one ever and they all couldn't wait to see what happened next. The Christmas dinner they all had that night was also a particularly fantastic one as well with quite a few pictures taken at various points to capture all the great moments during the dinner and afterwards.

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**Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this one! As well as a few certain nods to the BMW days!**


	21. Maya's Moment

**Disclaimer: I nothing but what you see here. Now, let's roll on for a big moment or two! And your quote of the day: "Scott Summers sucks!" L1701E's Kid Razor at some point.**

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**Sunday, December 27th 2015 3:33 PM at the Matthews' Home in Philly**

Christmas Day on Friday had been a most memorable occasion for everyone at the Matthews' home for many a reason. Such as Mr. Feeny's 'I love you' declaration and Shawn Hunter's news about finally settling somewhere and that being in New York for example. After the evening's good times quieted down, Farkle made a call to Isadora and told her what happened and thankfully she didn't get upset over it as she knew it wasn't his fault. Though she did promise swift retribution on the girl if she ever tried anything again with HER hunk. Which Farkle doubted he'd ever cross her path again since the girl lived in Philly while he lived in New York. Saturday would see Alan witnessing his grandson Auggie's phone call with a girl named Ava, an event that would actually have him asking Topanga if his grandson and this girl was about to be another Cory and Topanga.

The mother, wife, and lawyer had told him she was torn between hoping that didn't happen and hoping it might actually would. Since it would be their story entirely and no one else's. Alan merely told her that he looked forward to seeing how that went for the two kids. An argument between Riley and Farkle would also occur that day about her actual feelings towards Lucas in the girls' bedroom and not bothering to close the door fully since they didn't think anyone would show up while they talked. In the end, Riley told him that if he really cared about and respected her like he claims too, he wouldn't say a single word as it wasn't his place to do so but her's. She also told him in no uncertain terms that if he did utter a single word their friendship would be as good as over if he couldn't respect her wishes.

The thought of that honestly terrified Farkle Minkus more then he cared to admit and conceded to her requests. That and what she mentioned about not being his place to do also made him realize just how true that was. Farkle however honestly did think his best friend didn't know what he really wanted when it came to the girls even if Riley disagreed with the notion since the girl could tell how adamant he was being in regards to wanting friendship with her only. A tiny part of her did have a smidgen of hope however that her genius friend was somehow right however. The rest of Saturday passed onwards without a great deal happening other then getting to visit the Youth Center Frankie and Joey ran.

Seeing Janitor Harley's sister Theresa in action with the kids there also wound up giving one particular person a notion they would consider more about later on in the future. A little forecast watching also told the New York bunch that Sunday would likely be the best time to head on back home before things got nasty out on the road even more. Which brings us to Sunday and more than one person was sad about having to leave as well. Maya had decided she wanted a talk with Josh before they left since the girl wasn't exactly sure when she would see him again in the Big Apple. Knocking on Uncle Boing's door, she didn't have long to wait for him to yell out an invitation. Smiling, she went inside the nicely warm room and quickly saw that he was laid out on his bed while reading a book.

"Hey there Uncle Boing." Called out the girl as she sat down next to him on his bed.

Carefully marking his place, Josh put the book down and gave a certain Gorgeous Ferret his undivided attention. "Hey there yourself, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Asked the teenager in a slight raspy voice that was slowly getting better thanks to his medications.

Maya shrugged and twirled a loose strand of her hair. "Oh, you know, had to come see my future husband before I went back home."

Josh chuckled over that while honestly hating the differences in their ages to an extent as she was just one heck of a girl. "A good reason as any other." Heck, he would have been surprised if she hadn't of come to visit him before leaving!

"That it is, that it is. You know what occurred to me recently though?" Her question had Josh curious on that.

"No, what?"

"Oh, like the fact you didn't get me a ring and profess your undying love for me on Christmas. Or even kiss me for that matter. Which really makes a girl like me wonder if her man has any serious intentions for her."

He went wide eyed over all that as she quirked an eyebrow at him. "In my defense, I was sick! And come on, me kissing you while I'm sick? Seriously not a good idea Ferret."

"But til death do us part and all that right? In sickness and in health?" Seriously now, get with the program Joshy boy!

"I uhh… Well you know… Lack of money to afford that… And wait, why am I even talkin' about that!?" He asked incredulously as he realized what he was doing and making Maya burst into a fit of laughter.

Laughter he honestly liked hearing if he was being honest with himself. _Whoa now, falling for her is not what you want to do._ Even if a part of him did think it would be nice.

Once her laughter ended, she looked at him seriously and Josh couldn't help but wonder what the girl was thinking while looking so serious. "What's on that mind of yours Art Girl?"

As seriously, that nickname fit her after she had given him that sketch she made while he was in the hospital. Said sketch now proudly having a spot on his wall. Maya couldn't help but smile softly over that name even as it sent a small thrill through her that he had come up with something like that just for her. _He seriously makes me so sappy._

A fact that would have to be well hidden so as not to damage her reputation! Then again, where Josh was concerned that might not be such a bad thing. "You being in the hospital scared me. A lot. I honestly haven't been that scared since I was a little girl, only this felt a lot worse. Like… I might never see you again kind of worse."

To say he was surprised by the girl's words was an understatement. Heck he honestly had just thought she had an over the top crush on him but hearing what had just been said was starting to make him think otherwise now. Josh didn't say a word as he moved to sit next to her and wrap an arm around her. A move Maya greatly appreciated as she was starting to feel a little emotional and even leaned into him. "That didn't happen okay? It was thanks to you that I was taken to the hospital in time. Which by the way? That kinda makes you my hero ya know?"

Maya looked up at him in surprise over that one. Never did she ever think anyone would consider her their personal hero and yet her crush did and it was just huge for her. "I never thought someone would say that to me of all people." She told him shakily.

The fact she seemed to honestly believe that bothered Josh and he'd have to have a talk with his niece and her friends about that in regards to the girl next to him. "Well now someone has and I'm gonna think about you like that for a long time to come."

The sincerity in his words made her believe him too. A little idea then popped into her head and it made her start to grin at him, an action that had him wondering what was up. "So… Since I'm your hero and all, doesn't that mean as the hero I get a kiss now?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves now! I know I said I would start trying to look at ya differently, but I still have a thing about the age difference." He got a shake of the head and an eye roll from the girl in return.

"Oh please, what's 3 or 4 years when it comes to you and me? I honestly doubt anyone we know would even care since its not like you would hurt me on purpose or anything like that."

"I think that Lucas kid you're friends with would care actually."

A sigh escaped Maya as she knew he had a point there. "He might, but things with him is… Well... Kind of complicated and I don't want complicated. Complicated is confusing and potentially hurtful for not only me in the whole thing."

"Then uncomplicate it as its only as complicated as you allow it to be. Besides, do ya really want to be with me just cause its easier for you? I doubt that would turn out well for either of us and some things worth the complications if its what you really want."

The Blonde Beauty had to admit he had a darn good point but a part of her wanted something that would be easy. But if that happened, she would no doubt be denying herself something that could be great. But until Riley got herself straightened out where the Cowboy is concerned, there wasn't really anything she could do. Unless of course she went and dated other guys but other then Lucas and Josh, there really wasn't any other guy who interested her and Farkle was more like a little brother to her then a romantic interest. And Zay was just too hung up on that Vanessa girl and dating him would probably cause issues between him and Lucas and that's the last thing she wanted to wind up doing. Occasional bout of trouble she liked to cause but that's one bit of trouble she didn't want anything to do with.

Her silence gave Josh the impression he had definitely gotten her to thinking about what he'd said. Which to him was a really good thing in his view as he didn't want her to make a mistake she might regret. Even though a part of life was making mistakes and learning from them but this was one he wouldn't mind helping prevent from happening if at all possible. Yeah, he liked her, heck it was hard not to as she is a pretty great person to know despite how she acts towards him. But actual feelings that went beyond friendship? They didn't seem to be there in his view. Though whether or not he was denying that was another thing entirely.

"And I'm not gonna lie to ya, I like ya, but actual feelings beyond friendship? I'm sorry but they aren't there and it would be nice if they were cause you deserve a good guy to treat ya right like you deserve."

It hurt to hear him say how he felt, but Maya was glad he was at least being honest about how he felt. Heck, it was more then what she'd heard from Lucas at any rate aside from that almost kiss and the physical contact being any sort of indicator about his feelings. "Thanks for bein' honest with me Uncle Boing. It hurts a little but its better then being lead on or kept in the dark."

Josh nodded. "Honesty is the best policy and lying or keeping quiet where you're concerned wouldn't be all that right." Jeez, he's gonna make some girl very happy one day with the way he is.

Maya stood up and took a few steps before turning back to him. "Guess I'll see ya around Uncle Boing."

"Once I'm all rested up and get the chance to be out that way, you definitely will." He promised her with a smile.

Giving a smile of her own, she looked back towards the doorway and took another step. _You know… They say you only live once._ Thought the artist before impulsively turning back and walking back to Josh.

Something that surprised the older teenager since he thought she was leaving. What happened next surprisd him even more as she laid one heck of a kiss on him! A kiss he unexpectedly found himself returning. Unknown to the two as they started to get into the kiss, one Lucas Friar saw the whole thing happen. The sight was enough to make him feel angry, hurt, and crushed all at once and he left without a single word and didn't stop til he was out of the house. The former Texan would have kept going too if it wasn't for Deanna Feeny stopping him with a single 'Hey' as she'd been leaning up against the wall next to the doorway.

"Oh, hey Kentucky." His greeting wasn't as enthusiastic as it could have been considering what he'd just seen but he didn't think he could be blamed for that.

And it was something Deanna picked up on too pretty quickly. Stepping away from the wall and towards him, she cocked her to the side with a look of concern on her face. "You okay Tex? Cause ya look like ya lost your puppy."

A chuckle escaped from him but he didn't smile. "Its… Nothin'. Just a realization is all."

Somehow, the blue haired wonder doubted that but had the feeling he didn't want to be pushed on the matter. "Oh? Those are always fun to have." Lord knows it helped her mom where her dad was concerned when it came to his ways...

"Heh, tell me about it. But thanks for the concern."

"Anytime, after all you're good people. Not to mention a darn good kisser." Added the girl with a smile and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Something that honestly made him blush despite his feelings over that kiss between Maya and Riley's uncle! "Aww, so cute when you blush! And just so ya know? I'm glad I caught you before you left as I wanted to give you my number since we seemed to connect pretty nicely." And it'd be kind of a shame in her opinion of that connection was ignored, even if they never actually got together but the phone calls and maybe the occasional trip his way would be nice.

"Ah'd reckon we did connect quite well Kentucky." Replied Lucas while using a little of that Southern twang playfully.

He took the slip of paper from her and stuffed it into his pocket for safe keeping. "Maybe with that number of mine we can keep on doin' that." Said the girl as she stepped up to him and liking the fact he didn't step away.

Though a certain Riley Matthews was watching the whole thing and looking quite put out. Farkle, who was nearby groaned internally as he knew this might get ugly. _This might be the 'Boop' incident all over again!_ And man had that been awfully embarrassing for not only himself, but Riley as well!

"Ah'd be open to that idea." Lucas softly told her and the two met in a kiss and the former Texan native pushed away the stab of guilt he had over it in relation to Maya.

_Its obvious where her heart lies, so why should I feel guilty?_

The kiss sent Riley's jealousy into overdrive and she marched towards them while the adults and Auggie watched it all with curiousity written all over their faces. Just as she got to them, the two parted with little smiles on their faces. "Hey! Just what do you think you're doing kissing him!? Do you not remember our talk the other day!?" She knows she sure does! Even if she is trying to repress the memory of what else happened during that talk…

Deanna, instead of being annoyed was more amused then anything else. Lucas on the other hand was of the annoyed kind. "Riley! I don't think what Kentucky and I just did is really any of your business." Admonished the teenager as hello! He still remembers what she'd told him in Texas even though he had later shut down the whole brother/sister thing between them.

Well, Auggie did and he pretty much finished it. Riley looked at him in shock over that one. "Of course its my business! Especially if it has to do with my best friend!"

Lucas sighed in slight annoyance. "Look, Maya is a big girl and can handle herself just fine okay? She doesn't need you to look after her."

The brunette would have protested very strongly at that but Deanna chose to cut in next. "Tex is right Bambi. And I don't just mean about Blondie either." A grin then appeared on her face and if Riley wasn't so worked up she probably would have felt a little nervous about it.

"Besides, are you really sure its about her you're worried about? Are you jealous its him I'm kissin' and not you?"

Ol' Huckleberry looked at the blue haired wonder in slight confusion over what she was even talking about. "What!? No! I'm not, I'm not jealous at all! Why would I be? I like boys, not girls!"

"Hey, its okay if you aren't sure about that kind of thing. I mean you're young and still learnin' about yourself so its okay to be confused about certain things. Heck, you probably haven't even had your first kiss yet!" Soothed Deanna as she placed a hand on Riley's shoulder in consolation.

Riley gaped at the girl as Lucas continued to look on in confusion over the whole thing as even looking towards the adults didn't seem to help much! "Yes I have! Lucas was my first kiss! Because I kissed him first!" Exclaimed the brunette unhappily.

Deanna was certainly impressed by that! "Wow, go you with the girl power there!"

She raised her fist up for a fist bump but the other girl clearly had no intention of returning it. She aimed it at Tex but he backed away after getting a glare from Riley. "Sorry Kentucky, but I have no desire to get her anymore worked up then what she already is."

"But I bet its cute to see though! I mean its obvious she's already pretty cute as is." She then gave a wink to Riley who was gaping once again over the action as she just wasn't sure at all if the girl was being serious or not with what she was doing.

Deciding to stir the pot up even more as the former Kentucky native knew the brunette clearly has feelings for her favorite Tex even though she was fighting against her and Tex in supposed honor of Blondie. And sure, it might be true but that girl could clearly fight her own battles and most likely would speak up if she had any issue with her trying something with the guy near her. Not that there hadn't been an opportunity or two for the girl to do so but never did due to a few various reasons. "Hmm… Bambi, I bet you are a great kisser. What would you say Tex?"

"Well I can safely say it was unexpected."

He got a glare for that and backed up with his hands raised up in a defensive gesture. "But it was nice!" Placated the young man.

"Nice! Nice!? Is that all you can say!? Unexpected but nice!?" Ohh she was not happy!

Shawn could be heard muttering to Katy that the boy had done it now and she couldn't help but agree with that. Cory was getting ready to intervene and was about to wish he had too a lot sooner! "I'll show you nice Lucas! And it'll be WAY better then her kiss!"

Riley marched over to Lucas, grabbed his head, and laid one heck of a kiss on him! Something that took both Shawn and Stuart to keep Cory from coming after Lucas even though he wasn't the one to start the kissing! Farkle facepalmed himself as his fear of another 'Boop' incident had been realized. Deanna was honestly surprised the girl had done what she did! _Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I done fired her all up!_

Seconds later the kiss ended and Riley looked towards Deanna with an expression that was awfully cute on the girl in the blue haired wonder's opinion. Deanna couldn't help but whistle in apprecation. "Good Lawd Bambi! Done took my breath away with that!" She knew she was likely laying it on a bit thick but she couldn't help it!

Lucas couldn't even say a single thing as he was just too stunned by the action! Something Deanna noticed too after taking a look at him. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's breath ya took darlin'! Lawd knows I probably could learn a thing or two from ya and I know I'm always willin' to learn right quick if the teacher looks all cute like you do."

She gave a little wink to Riley who definitely wasn't too happy with that! "I'm sorry, but I won't be teaching you anything!" Gosh, this girl was freaking her out!

The blue haired wonder was about to say something to do that when Maya herself made herself known at that point in time. "What are we not teaching exactly? Cause school's not back in just yet ya know."

"Not sure I'd agree with ya there Blondie." Spoke up Deanna with a small smirk, though she couldn't help but wonder what had the girl all flustered like.

Maya wondered what she meant by that but then the sight of ol' Ranger Rick himself caught her interest instead. "Hey Sundance, you okay over there?"

The teenager blinked a few times before shaking his head and looking at the three girls in front of him on at a time. The sight of Maya brought back his funk from moments ago, the sight of Riley was all sorts of confusion thanks to that gosh darned kiss, and the pleased look Deanna had just didn't help with the confusion any. He started to try and say something but nothing would come out, which honestly made Maya a bit concerned about her favorite Huckleberry. Finally, one thing did come out though. "Gah!" And with that, he rushed off and quickly got inside his momma's car, stuffed some ear buds into his ears, and started to play some music from the selection he had on his phone.

 _Why are girls so darn confusin'!?_ Thought the young man who was about as lost as a fisherman at sea with no lighthouse to guide him home and no stars to use either.

Deanna was mildly concerned over that and hoped he would be okay after all that had happened. Turning to the two girls still with her, she spoke up in a cheerful voice. "Well! I reckon I'll see y'all again in the future if its a willin' to happen. Hope ya stay real cute like Bambi." And with a wink towards Riley who honestly at that point wanted to stay away from the girl and her intentions towards her, Deanna made her exit back over to her uncle's place.

Though Maya was honestly confused by the whole thing. _Was Blue flirting with Riley!?_ An action that clearly her best friend wasn't responding towards all that well it seemed if that was actually the case.

Shrugging it off, the artist figured it was nothing to really worry about. Placing a hand on her best friend's shoulder and getting an odd reaction from Riley over it til she realized who was touching her. Maya smiled at her to show it was okay. "Come on Honey, let's go home."

And that was a notion Riley could happily get behind! _I think… I think that girl like likes me!_ Never did she ever think something like that would happen to her!

But to home they went, and Riley would have to listen to her dad rant a little over the lengths boys would go too to get a kiss from a girl. Something that would have both her and her mom rolling their eyes over. Other then the thing with Deanna and uncle Josh's trip to the hospital, this truly was a Christmas to remember in the Pretty Brunette's mind and she couldn't wait to see what happened next!

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**Author's Notes: Here it is my good peoples! I certainly hope this was worth the wait!** **R and R!**


	22. A New Year's Eve Confrontation As The Plan Is Made Part 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Now, let's get it on!**

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**January 31st, 2015 on New Year's Eve, Thursday at the Matthews' Apartment around 1:25 PM**

The past few days since coming back to New York after a fantastic Christmas in Philadelphia had been interesting to say the least. Course many of the residents could have done with out the cold temperatures that were pretty much making folks want to stay indoors as much as possible. Two such individuals were Riley Matthews and Maya Hart as they were both currently in Riley's bedroom and sitting at their Bay Window discussing a particular problem named Lucas Friar. Primarily the fact that the former Texan was pretty much AWOL since getting back to the Big Apple and even Zay had barely heard from his friend. It was confusing and hurtful that their friend was apparently going out of his way to not be around them and they were getting rather tired of it.

Maya in particular was getting to be a little angry since she herself had come by his house and had been pretty much told no by an apologetic Mrs. Friar who also wasn't too happy with the way her son was acting. Something was up and the girls were determined to get to the bottom of it. Though for Riley this was somewhat difficult as she was still somewhat freaked out over the fact she had kissed him right in front of everybody! But she had to wonder why she was feeling more freaked out then happy about the fact she had kissed her crush of nearly 2 years for a second time. The Pretty Brunette probably could have blamed Deanna for the whole mess but she didn't think it would be right even if she was probably at least a little bit to blame! What, with how she was flirting and all with her…

If she never got flirted with by a girl again it she'd be most happy. Now she didn't think of herself as close minded to those kinds of people but she wasn't exactly looking to try that side of life anytime soon. At least they were also doing some catch up reading with the _Sense and Sensibility_ book Harper had assigned them prior to Christmas break so at least not all was bad. Course they probably would both be finished by now had they brought their copies with them to Philly but it honestly hadn't occurred to them. While Riley had gotten pretty far into the book, Maya hadn't as her eyesight wasn't focusing all that well and gave her a minor headache cause of it too. Something that helped to remind her of why she preferred to sit up front instead of in the back like most 'cool' kids did.

"The only thing I can think of for why Lucas might be acting like he has is over what happened before we all left." Spoke up Riley even though she was hesitant to even bring it up as she was worried about Maya's reaction.

That definitely had Maya's reaction as she'd still been curious since it seemed like something had happened prior to her coming out of the house. The artist had to wonder though if it was close to anything like her experience with Josh in his room. "Yeah, what was up with all that anyway?"

The suddenly nervous look Riley got on her face made the blonde girl a little nervous. "Um… Well… Lucas came out of the house but got stopped by Deanna."

"Okay, so obviously those two managed to get surprisingly close while we there. No big deal about that."

"Yeah, if by close you mean the two started kissing soon afterwards as close..." Muttered Riley unhappily as she crossed her arms.

Maya's eyes widened over that bit of news! "WHAT!?" Exclaimed the shocked girl as she stood up.

Her Huckleberry kissing some girl he barely knew!? That honestly bugged her as at least she somewhat knew Josh compared to him knowing the blue haired girl! The jealousy she was feeling wasn't something she liked much of either since it meant her feelings for the Cowboy were alive and well. And that made Riley's little revelation that much more painful and confusing. And more confusion was the last freaking thing she needed for cryin' out loud! "And that's not all that happened."

"What? Did he get down on one knee and proclaim he wanted to ride off into the sunset with her like the freakin' Cowboy we all know he is!?" Heh, Riley wishes that was what happened!

"Um… No..." Squeaked out the girl while refusing to look in her friend's direction.

"I kind of got really unhappy about it and things happened. And they were very happening things too!"

_She's stalling… Whatever it is that happened musta been big._

"IkissedLucastotryandmakeapointtoDeanna!" Got out the girl in a rush that the other girl didn't undersand all that well.

"Honey, you wanna try that again? Cause I barely heard ya."

Riley gulped as she looked up at her best friend. "I decided to prove a point to that girl that I was a better kisser then her!" She was SO not gonna tell Maya about the whole flirting thing the blue haired girl had done with her!

The girl's words hit Maya hard and she didn't need Riley to explain that any further as she got the gist of it all. Walking over to the bed and plopping down at the edge of it, she just stared at the bedroom door in shock and surprise. Maya wished she could be naive at this moment since hearing about that kiss bothered her. But its not like she could claim innocence either since she practically made out with Josh when he deepened the kiss! Which… You know… Was one heck of a first kiss for her. For Riley, she was honestly scared as she could tell how unhappy her best friend was after learning of her betrayal.

"Are… Are you mad at me Maya?" Asked the Matthews girl fearfully.

Her fearful tone snapped the Blonde Beauty out of her state of shock and surprise as she looked at Riley. "What? No, I'm not mad Riles. Shocked? Yes. Surprised? Yes. But mad? Nah." Okay, she was lying about the mad part but the girl didn't need to know that. Along with her feeling pretty hurt over it as well. Though Maya wondered if she was possibly being hypocritical in some way considering the thing with Josh.

And if Riley was relieved to hear that? The look on her face definitely showed she was as she had no reason to disbelieve Maya. Even if the girl was well within her right to be mad for the kiss but she figured that that interloper was reason enough to be mad about… Riley then got an idea that would hopefully help make this whole thing much better as it would ensure Lucas would be there and not hiding away like he had been. "I think we should have a ball. Like the girls in the book Harper assigned to us."

Maya was confused by that as she didn't think some event would help anything at all. "Honey, I really don't think that's gonna do anything since it was more about available guys and all that."

Hear, Riley smiled as she got up and started pacing back and forth in front of Maya. "But that's just it Peaches! We aren't having this party because of available guys, we're having it because its New Year's Eve. AND! It'll draw out Lucas as we'll get his mom involved and she'll give him little choice in the whole thing!"

_Huh… That just might work. Or fail big time…_

And who knows how that might go if it did fail pretty badly. Something that honestly worried the blonde more then she liked. But before she could really say anything, Riley was out the door and yelling out for her mom that she had a plan for what they could do for New Year's. Sighing to herself, Maya got off the bed and went to go follow Riley and listen to the girl speak more on the whole plan with her mom. _Who knows, maybe getting ol' Blueberry out in the open will help me with the confusion I'm feelin' in some way…_

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**Author's Notes: And thus the newest chapter begins with a plan. How will it fare in the end? Read on to find out!**


	23. A New Year's Even Confrontation Part 2, A Chat Between a Daughter and Parents

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. BOOM! Studios' Fiction Squad is a read I highly recommend. This takes place a few hours later from the first chapter.**

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**Matthews' Apartment around 4:02 PM**

Things had gotten quite busy in the time since the party had been thought up by Riley. Calls were made to their classmates to invite them to the fun for the night and Mrs. Jansen had promised she would make sure Lucas would be there as well since she didn't want him sitting around the house doing nothing. Talk of a night out on the town was also learned of in regards to Katy and Shawn and Maya was happy about that since it would mean her mom wouldn't be hanging out at home with Gammy and Ginger for company. Around three Riley had even convinced Shawn to take her to the grocery store for much needed supplies for the party. Though the man had amusingly tried to get out of it until the girl had gotten him where it counted by making a remark that it would allow them to spend a little quality time together and would help make up for his not being around as much in earlier years if they did the shopping together.

Shawn had slumped his shoulders thanks to the reminder and he was much more agreeable about it after that. Maya had decided to stay back at the Matthews' place since she was wanting a moment to herself since the whole party thing had kept her from being able to leave thanks to Riley wanting her help in the whole thing. She was sitting on the couch absentmindedly playing with some string when Cory and Topanga came into the living room. "Ohh! What's this Topanga?"

"I don't know Cory, but I think its a Wild Blonde in our living room."

Cory fake gasped over his wife's response. "A Wild Blonde you say!?"

"Mm-hmm. And this one's quite the Amazon Warrior too."

Maya couldn't help but roll her eyes while smiling at the two adults' antics. Looking at them with tha smile still on her face she felt grateful for the fact she had them in her life. They then both sat down next to her on opposite sides of her. "So, what's got ya on this couch instead of out there with Riley and Shawnie? Asked Cory curiously.

"I… Just needed a moment to myself. To try and think about stuff."

"What kinds of stuff honey?" Topanga asked concernedly.

"Stuff that's just got me all confused." Admitted the girl and making the two adults more concerned then before.

"Aww, what about?" Asked Topanga before Cory could.

She was silent for a moment before finally answering. "Feelings… Boys… Feelings for boys."

"The Jerks!" Groused Cory much to Maya's amusement.

 _Teenagers and feelings, gotta love it._ Mused Topanga.

Topanga wrapped an arm around her surrogate daughter in comfort and Maya felt happy over it and leaned in a little. "Feelings tend to be big for girls and boys your age and can be pretty confusing. Even for a fierce, Amazon warrior like you."

Maya nodded at her words as it was seriously true and sucky. "Yeah, tell me about it. For the longest time I thought I had actual feelings for him you know? But now? I'm not so sure about that."

"Would this 'him' be my little brother?" Cory asked as it was obvious as can be that Maya tended to act pretty differently around him compared to how she was with other boys like Lucas, Farkle, and Zay. Though how she was with Lucas a lot of the time was very telling in the man's view.

Heh, leave it to her teacher to instantly figure it out. Looking at him, she nodded. "Yeah, that would be the one."

The Blonde Beauty just hoped he wouldn't freak out over what she was about to tell the two of them. "Now please don't freak out like you tend to do with Riley when it comes to boys she likes." Pleaded the girl.

Cory raised an eyebrow at her over that. "Sweetie, you're like a daughter to me so I can't promise you anything there." He told her with a smile and causing her to feel touched and pretty happy by his words.

"Okay… So umm… Before we came back home, I decided to talk with Josh while we were still at the house. And I decided to go for it and kiss him after we got done talking."

Cory and Topanga were honestly surprised by that bit of news even though they both knew she was the type to charge head on. Cory of course wanted to go and have a little talk with his little brother about the whole thing. "Boys! Always lurin' ya in with their pretty faces!"

"I don't know about that honey, it was your vibe of celery that lured me in." Teased Topanga and making Maya laugh in the process.

"Well, I'm obviously the exception to the rule."

Cory then got serious afterwards. "So your first big kiss and it left you unsure huh?"

Maya nodded with a sad look on her face and got a rub of comfort on her arm from Topanga. "Sometimes all it takes is a kiss to know whether or not something's actually there. Even with any feelings you feel you have to begin with." Said the mother sagely.

A chuckle came from Cory. "Yeah, God knows I was kinda freaked out when you kissed me against that locker back in the sixth grade. But even then I could feel something for you even if I didn't exactly understand what that was until later."

Topanga smiled at him and Maya could practically feel the love radiating between the two before the two gave her their attention once more. The affection in their eyes decided to make the young girl speak further on her confusion and unsureness. "Don't get me wrong, the kiss with him was wow worthy. Especially for my first time but while it was happening Lucas popped into my head."

"I wish I could say I was surprised to hear that sweetie but with the way you two act around one another its easy to see there's something there between you two."

Maya looked at him in surprise as the man didn't sound all that upset when he had spoken. "You're not… You're not mad?"

Her hesitance was easy to hear in her voice for the two and Cory quickly reassured her that he wasn't. "Not at all, what you feel is what you feel and it can't be helped." Topanga gave a hum of agreement to that.

"But what about Riley? I really don't want to hurt her as I know she has feelings for him."

Topanga took that one after a quick look at her husband. "Sometimes hurting is unavoidable. And even if you aren't doing anything about it to keep her happy, in the long run it hurts you too by not doing anything. Another thing to consider about all this is that Riley has a certain view point about Lucas thanks to the idea of her father and I."

"A view point that clearly keeps her from being accepting of all sides of him as those other sides hurts that view of hers. That view point is something she's going to need to learn to let go of as otherwise, she won't be able to have her own story and happiness." Threw in Cory and Maya had to agree with that as she clearly remembered the whole fiasco that got started when Zay first showed up.

Heck, had she not started to make comments during Riley's grilling of the guy things might have gotten a bit ugly too. And now that she was thinking about it, the Blonde Beauty wasn't too sure if Riles ever even apologized to him for how she was acting either. "Yeah, I get what you mean by that."

"The last thing we want of course is to see you and Riley falling out over a boy. But I truly think because of the strong friendship you two have that may not even happen. You clearly have feelings for Lucas if he's what popped into your head while you were kissing Josh and if you want to try to see where that goes? Then by all means go for it as I doubt that's something you want to look back on and regret not doing because of fear." Added Topanga encouragingly.

A sigh escaped the young girl as she knew Mrs. Matthews had a really good point. She wanted to live life and do all that she could so that when she was old and gray she could look back on life and not have any regrets. Maya didn't want to turn out like May Clutterbucket had by never trying and making for so many missed opportunies in the process. "Does this get easier in any way?"

"Nope." Cory told her while popping the 'p'.

"In fact it gets harder. Especially in high school. But as long as you have your friends by your side you'll be just fine as you go through it."

_The fact these two don't sugarcoat things for me makes me glad Riley came into my life._

"So I can either leave things be or actually try and let what happens happen."

The two adults nodded at her and she let out a breath afterwards. "Thank you, I really needed this talk." The girl told them gratefully and they both smiled at her warmly.

Maya then wrapped Topanga in a hug before kissing her on the cheek, then leaned over to Cory and gave him a hug as well. "Anytime you need to talk, we are always here for you." The father told her and Topanga nodded in full on agreement.

Those would be words the artist would take to heart as she knew there was no lie to be heard in that. "I think… I think I'm gonna head home for a bit." Maya then rose up and headed for the door while making sure to grab her coat.

Giving the two one last look and getting encouragingly warm smiles in return, she made her way out as she began to think on everything. Cory and Topanga looked at one another before she slid to his side and he wrapped an arm around her. Both hoped that things for their surrogate daughter would lead to much in the way of happiness as she definitely deserved it. Things no doubt would be a little tense with Riley but their friendship would no doubt pull them through in the end.

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**Author's Notes: This was something of a challenge to write considering the feelings involved. But hopefully I handled it extremely well. Had the kiss with Josh not happened, her conversation with Cory and Topanga probably would have played out somewhat closely to how it did on the GMNY episode. Up next: The party gets in full swing, and its sure to be quite the event!**


	24. A New Year's Eve Confrontation Part 3, Let's Party!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here, however I do now own season four of Boy Meets World.**

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**10:05 at the Matthews' Apartment**

The New Year's Eve party was in full swing by the time Wendy showed up with Lucas in their car. Needless to say, the Huckleberry from Texas wasn't too happy about being there either but his mom had been insistent as she didn't like the fact he was sitting around all mopey and unhappy and felt this was the best way to get him out of it. Something he disagreed with as he really wasn't wanting to face Maya after what he saw between her and Josh. "Now I want you to go up there and have fun instead of being all mopey for whatever reason." Why he continued to be that way was beyond her since he refused to tell her why anytime she asked.

Lucas let out a sigh. "I'm really not sure about all this momma." If Josh was there who knows what might happen if he saw the guy and Maya bein' all close like.

"Just give it a shot okay? Maybe being with your friends will help you stop being all mopey. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

That's what he was afraid of but since his momma wasn't gonna budge, he knew he had to do this. "I'll try momma." The smile he got in return showed him he'd just done the right thing even though he didn't feel like it was.

"I'll be back around 12:10 to pick you up okay?"

Lucas nodded and got out of the car with an 'I love you' to his momma. Looking up at the apartment, he let out a breath and made his way inside. A few minutes later he found himself behind Riley somewhat talking with Farkle and Smackle. Who yet again seemed to think he was trying something even though he wasn't! He had enough on his plate as it is and the last thing he needed was another girl in the whole thing. As he moved into the apartment, he saw just about every classmate of theirs from History class and even a few that weren't. Such as a few of the cheerleaders and Farkle and Smackle's friends from Einstein Academy. Seeing Maya alone at the bay window, he gave a nod her way and briefly thought about joining her but didn't want to cause trouble in case Josh had a problem with it.

And instead joined Dave, Wyatt, Chang, and Jeffrey where they were behind the couch. Which caused him to completely miss the look Maya sent him for not coming over there like she thought he was going too. She was soon joined by Riley who asked if she was just going to sit there instead of going over there to Lucas. "As remember, one of the reasons we started this party is so that we could get him to talk with us."

Maya would have liked to point out that it wasn't so much her as it was Riley but said nothing. But she knew the girl had a point. "You're absolutely right Riles, let's go round him up."

The two got up to do exactly that while missing the fact that Billy Ross and the Rebel known as Brandon had been nearby listening in on the whole thing even though they hadn't intended to. "How well you think that's gonna go?" Asked Billy.

"Probably about as well you think it might go if he's been tryin' to avoid 'em." Replied the Rebel.

Billy nodded at that and then a thought came to him even though it was a weird one. "You know… This is probably like the first time we've ever really hung out but it seems like something's missing."

Brandon was about to make a retort to that and call the guy crazy but then it hit him when he realized Billy was right. "Huh… You make a good point." The two would get to thinking long and hard about that for awhile.

Meanwhile after the greeting Maya gave Lucas, things were awkwardly quiet and Charlie's little quip hadn't helped things either with the awkwardness. Thankfully Riley decided to drag him away while the four boys went elsewhere in the apartment to let the two talk on their own. "So, how ya been?" Asked the Blonde Beauty and wondering why this was harder then what it should be. Things were always so easy for the two of them, even with the bickering they did.

"I've been… Alright." Which was a complete lie of course.

"Oh. That's, that's good."

Lucas rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably and blurted out the next question that came to mind even though it was the last thing he even wanted to know about. "How uhh… How's Josh?"

"Stuck on bedrest but he's getting better."

"Oh, well I'm sorry he couldn't be here then to enjoy the party with ya."

Maya was confused by that since the guy had to have remembered the fact Josh had been basically ordered on bedrest as much as possible until he was a hundred percent again. "Hey its cool, Uncle Boing needs to focus on getting better then being out in the cold."

"Well, I hope he makes a speedy recovery so that way you two don't have to be all apart and what not." God how he hated to say that!

And if anything, Maya was even more confused and she hated every bit of it. She was about to ask what the heck he meant by that when Charlie called out asking if anybody wanted to play the game of Life's Questions. Which basically was a card game where you answered various questions related to life and some questions had the odd tendency to reflect your life in some ways. Lucas wound up getting goaded into it by Charlie's friendly teasing much to Maya's annoyance who only really wanted to know what the crap the Cowboy had been talking about! But she had the bright idea to snatch him up as a partner before anybody else could since the game allowed for teams if they really wanted to do it that way.

A little cute moment happened after that with Farkle and Smackle, though Maya seemed to think her genius friend seemed a little unhappy when the girl put her head on his shoulder. Why that was she had no idea. Riley was the first to go with the cards and her's asked what was the best movie theater snack. "Popcorn and Licorice!" Answered Charlie with a big smile and getting more then a few looks for it.

"What? Its true!"

"Man we all know buttered up popcorn with jelly babies mixed in is the best snack." Answered Zay in response from his spot by the dinner table.

"That seems highly unhealthy Isaiah." Remarked Smackle.

Zay shrugged at that. "Unhealthy or not it tastes great!"

She wanted to argue on that but a small clearing of the throat from her man stopped that but she promised to bring it up again at a later time. Riley, deciding it was time to move on before things could get out of hand with the question's answered, passed the box of cards on to Maya. Who's question asked whether or not all signs should be respected. Brandon had an opinion on that one however. "I think it depends really."

"Depends on what?" Asked Yogi from his spot next to Darby.

"If whether or not its a legal thing where the sign is concerned."

"Why that would even be something to even think about? If its legal then you know its okay to do it. Illegal then you already know its not okay." Asked Riley confusedly.

Brandon gave her a smirk as he knew full well the girl could be naive in the more serious things of life. "I'm a rebel and illegal and or frowned upon things are a part of the rebel life. Well, for me anyway."

Riley made a face at that as he leaned over to fist bump with Maya. "You should think about making a change to something a little less rebellious. Like… A bunny farmer or doctor."

Maya rolled her eyes over that one as Brandon gave her an amused smile. "Yeah, I'll uhh… I'll keep that in mind." God was she cute but no way was he gonna do either of those things!

He got a beaming smile from the girl and he could hear Billy snickering and lowly muttering about kissing in a tree for the two. The glare Billy got after that was worth it in his view as he just smiled back at the guy in return. "Well I think unless its a life or death situation, signs should be respected." Threw in Lucas and getting an eyeroll from Maya.

"Yeah, you would think that Saint Huck." Teased the girl with a smile seconds later.

"Comes with being a reformed cowboy ma'am." Lucas replied deadpan and getting a snort from Zay in the process.

Riley frowned at that as it came dangerously close to going against a certain viewpoint of hers. "I think its time to move on before we get derailed even more." Spoke up the brunette and pretty much ruining what would have been a fun amount of bickering between two certain people.

A few groans could be heard since they were already looking forward to seeing the bickering happening. Lucas gently took the card box from Maya and handed it over to Smackle, who's question would ask what the best way to stop an argument would be. "Hmm… That is a simple response. In the case of my former archnemesis I would merely tickle him."

"How could you possibly..." Began Maya

"Know anything like that?" Finished Lucas in wonderment.

Smackle smiled at the two. "Observe carefully." She put a finger on Farkle's ear and started to rub it and the boy went rigid and started to emit a very strange noise.

Something that honestly weirded out everybody in the room too. After she stopped the tickle, she looked back to the two beside her with a smug grin on her face. "A little discovery of mine I made by complete accident. But a very effective and enjoyable discovery none the less." Farkle for his part looked a bit embarrassed and red in the face after having that demonstrated in front of everybody.

"Huh." Was all Maya could say and everybody else couldn't help but agree.

 _I hope I don't have that ear thing._ Thought Lucas hopefully as no telling who'd use that against him for their own needs. Maya briefly came to mind before the thought was pushed away ruthlessly as he reminded himself of the fact she's pretty much with Josh now.

Just then, the doorbell sounded and Cory quickly made his way to it. "Pizza's here!" And it was a good thing they had done the ordering earlier on as it would have been a nightmare to get anything going now.

The food and drinks were passed out after that and it put off the game for the time being. Though Maya was more concerned about the weird thing with Lucas from earlier on. And after a few slices in her belly that were just darn good, she asked the very question on her mind. "So Sundance, what's with you and this whole apart thing about with me and Uncle Boing?" Her question caused him to freeze up momentarily before he looked right at her with pizza hanging out of his mouth.

The sight would have been comical if things weren't so serious at the time. And their fellow teenagers could tell things just got real serious then and there. Though none of them knew just how serious things were about to get.

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**Author's Notes: A portion of this was inspired by IncorrectGMWQuotes from Tumblr, which was fun to do with this chapter. I doubt that Life game I used here actually exists but I couldn't very well use the Couples game considering what's going on. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed and look forward to your thoughts! R and R!**


	25. A New Year's Eve Confrontation Part 4, An Unpleasant Chat

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**11:40 PM**

Maya waited on him somewhat impatiently to start talking as he just stared at her in surprise with some pizza hanging out of his mouth. Biting off the slice and putting the rest back down on a paper plate he had, he chewed on the part of the slice already in his mouth before swallowing it. Lucas had really hoped to avoid this but it seemed Maya wasn't about to give him an out. "Ain't it obvious?"

A shake of the head was the initial response. "Uhh… No, its not obvious at all."

Lucas sighed before looking back at her. "You and Josh are a thing now right? So you two havin' to be apart cause of the recovery time is a sucky thing to deal with."

"Lucas, why would you think Maya and my uncle are together!?" Asked a confused Riley, which was something Maya wanted to know herself for cryin' out loud!

"Yeah Sundance, why would you think that?" The blonde was feeling somewhat nervous in addition to her confusion as there was no way he could have known about that kiss! Right?

A shrug came from the boy's shoulders. "Well, for one, I saw the two of ya kissin' that day I came up to let ya know it was time to leave."

"WHAT!?" Shouted out Riley in shock and partly wondering why her dad wasn't doing the same!

For Riley, she could hardly believe what she'd just heard! Her own best friend and her uncle kissing!? She didn't want her own best friend as an aunt darn it! As it was just way too weird to even think about! As for Maya? She was shocked and a little embarrassed that that particular bit of information was now known by their classmates and friends. Especially Riley for that matter as she had hoped the girl wouldn't ever find out! However, there was no way in heck her and the Hucklebery were gonna talk about that or anything else in front of everybody though! "Bay Window, Bay Window right now." Called out Riley.

Everybody looked to her after that but Maya wasn't quite willing to abide by that as she wanted to talk with the Huckleberry somewhere else that was alone. "No, I don't think so Riles."

"Hmmph, why not? Secret's done got out so I can't see why ya don't wanna talk about it." Offered up Lucas with an annoyed look on his face.

 _Refusin' to talk ain't gonna do ya no good._ He added seconds later in his head.

Maya gave him a glare by that but he just didn't care at that point. "It happened and there's nothing to talk about. And even if there was, I'd rather talk about it when there's not a crowd around for it." She told him annoyedly.

"Oh come on! You've been after the guy for months and you're actin' like the kiss is no big deal? I don't buy that at all." Protested Lucas.

"Yeah! Its your first kiss and its a big deal!" Added Riley who felt something like that shouldn't be treated as nothing!

A groan came from Maya after that. "You know what Saint Huck? How about you and I go up to the rooftop so we can talk about this cause obviously you seem to have a stick up your butt about this." Heck it was almost like he was being jealous! Which if that was the case would be another sign of feelings of his towards her.

Which… When she thought about it… She no doubt would have been jealous as heck if she had seen him and Deanna kissing! As it was she had some jealousy in her over that anyway! "What's to talk about? You chose him, end of story."

 _Oh boy… He really is jealous…_ Maya wasn't too sure how to handle this side of him to be honest.

"Nuh-uh Cowboy, not even close. But you and me? We're gonna talk about this privately on the rooftop." She rose up from her spot on the couch and went towards the door before looking back at him.

"Come on!" She told him with a slightly raised voice as she grabbed her coat.

Lucas sighed agitatedly but did as asked. As it is, better privately where anger and potential tears were unlikely to be seen if it came down to that. "Hold on!" Protested Riley as Lucas made for the door.

"No Riles, this is between Lucas and me okay? So please respect that and stay out of it."

And with that the two were out the door and on their way to the rooftop with an unhappy Riley being left behind. The brunette made to head that way herself but was stopped by Farkle. "Farkle! Why are you getting in the way!? Those are our friends and we need to be up there!"

He shook his head at her. "No, we don't Riley. This is between them and you need to respect that."

A frown came from the girl as she didn't like that response at all. Meanwhile, as Farkle dealt with an unhappy Riley and had some occasional help from her parents and others, Maya and Lucas had made quick work of their arrival at the rooftop. And both were thankful they had their coats on as it was a bit on the chilly side at the moment. "There is no end of story cause I didn't choose him okay!?"

"How the heck could ya not have chosen him!? The two of ya were kissin' each other! And ya both looked quite into it too! So if that's not choosing, I don't know what it is!"

A groan escaped from Maya. "Gee, for someone who was being such a _Blueberry_ with a local you sure are being real jealous!"

Lucas took a step back in shock before stuttering out that he didn't know what she was talking about. Maya gave him a look that said she didn't believe that at all. "Oh please, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Riley TOLD me she saw you and Deanna kissing before we left!"

"Did she tell ya that she kissed me soon afterwards?" Fired back Lucas hotly.

"Yes! But that's besides the point! You were kissing another girl so don't you dare go around acting like you're the only one with some jealousy going on!'

Lucas scoffed at that. "Oh please, are you gonna tell me that _you're_ jealous of me kissin' Kentucky? When you yourself were up in that room practically makin' out with Josh!?"

"YES!" Shouted out Maya angrily and really, really wanting to throttle the guy!

A 'hah!' came from the former Texan as he could hardly believe what he'd just heard! "Sorry, but I just don't buy that at all."

The Blonde Beauty looked at him in clear disbelief over that. "What do ya mean you don't buy that at all!? Its true!"

"Right, if ya say so."

"So you're the only one allowed to be jealous just cause YOU saw me kissing him!?"

"YES! Because I feel somethin' for ya Maya! But seein' that in his room tore at me like you wouldn't believe!"

To say she was shocked was an understatement as she definitely wasn't expecting him to even admit that! The two were also so into their argument that neither of them even realized they had an audience in the form of Riley who had steadfastedly in her stubbornness gotten past Farkle and the others to come out here to do what she could to keep the two from really getting into it. And like her best friend, she too was shocked to hear the words that came out of Lucas' mouth. Shocked and feeling hurt cause he had never said anything like that to her. "Well newsflash for you Lucas, hearing what you and she did and later what Riley did tore at me too!"

Lucas wasn't sure if he could even believe that thanks to all the anger he was feeling. And Maya must have been able to see that for herself as she went onwards. "That kiss I had with Josh told me one thing. You wanna know what that is?"

"No, not really as it told me plenty enough." He responded through clinched teeth.

"Yeah? Well clearly it gave you the wrong information! That kiss made me realize I didn't feel anything for him! Any real feelings I have are for you and I know that now!"

A scoff could be heard and a look of clear disbelief could be seen on the young man's face. As for Riley? Haering that was just honestly shocking. Now she had come to the conclusion back in Texas that her best friend felt something for Lucas but a part of her had been hoping it was just going to go away. But hearing that just told her that was clearly not going to be the case and she had no idea how to really even handle that. "How, how can you look at me like you don't believe me? Have I ever lied to you about anything really serious?" Maya asked him in a hurt tone of voice and trying to force away the tears that were wanting to come out.

"Because I don't! You were after him for so long and a kiss tells you its not what you think? I'm just havin' trouble even believin' that."

Maya gaped at him shock over that one. She could hardly believe he had said that and realized that his jealousy and anger was most likely clouding his better judgement and she hated every bit of that. A part of her wanted to blame Riley for all this even happening since it was her who had spoken on things she had no businesss even doing to begin with. "Its the truth! I like you! Not him!" Protested the girl and feeling more angrier by the second as he shook his head in denial.

Fed up with him, she marched over, grabbed the upper portion of top and pulled him down to her before he could even really do anything to stop it and kissed him. And as they kissed, fireworks went off. Figuratively and literally as it was now offically a new year and the kiss between the two was explosive in every way that neither had felt with Josh and Deanna respectively. Riley was honestly shocked and a little hurt to see the two kissing but she couldn't turn away or speak out due to the state of shock she was in. She didn't even register the fact Farkle had a hand on her shoulder in comfort for that matter. And finally, after what felt like an eternity for Maya and Lucas. The two pulled apart as the fireworks continued to go off into the night sky.

For Lucas Friar, if Deanna's kiss was wow worthy, the kiss with Maya was on a level above that. And Maya was feeling completely the same way and it told her all she needed to know in regards to her feelings for Lucas 'Of Many Nicknames' Friar. However, to her shock and hurt, Lucas pulled away from her as he shook his head in denial seconds later. "No, just… No. I won't… I will NOT be some second best choice for you!" He stated angrily as the anger and jealously from before the kiss came roaring back and causing him to make a very big mistake.

To hear him say that surprised Riley and Farkle greatly and to cause Maya a lot of pain as she could hardly believe he thought that. "What!? You aren't any second best choice!" She got out with a wavering voice.

As he could never be that to her for cryin' out loud! A huff came from him and he turned away, ready to leave the rooftop and go home so that he could put all this behind him. Maya started calling out to him as the tears she tried to fight against desperately wanted to come out as her heart broke into a million pieces at the sight of him walking away from her. Lucas ignored it all and was met by Riley and Farkle who clearly were not happy with him at all. "Move." He told them simply but neither did.

"Lucas..." Started Riley with the full intention of a lecture at him for how he was being at the moment.

"MOVE!" Shouted out the boy and the two reared back in fear at his voice and quickly got the heck out of the way.

He quickly walked past them and not even caring in that moment for how he'd just been towards his two friends. The two watched him go and Farkle made the decision to go after him, leaving Riley behind to console her best friend on her own. And as she went to go towards her best friend and sister in all but blood, she was stopped by one single word. "Don't."

"What? What do you mean 'don't'?"

Maya looked right at her with an expression of pure anger mixed in with pain and it was something Riley never ever wanted to see on the girl's face ever again. "Don't come near me. I asked you to stay away from us so that we could talk. And yet you ignored my request like you do just about everything else that doesn't agree with you."

The Pretty Brunette was stunned and hurt to hear that come from her best friend's mouth. "M-Maya..."

"No! I wished you hadn't said a thing to begin with back in Texas! It wasn't even your place as it is!"

_Is she saying this is my fault!? I was only doing what I thought was right!_

"Maya! I only did what I thought was right! If I hadn't of said anything nothing would have ever even happened!"

The look she got was also something she never wanted to see aimed her way again by Maya. "No, you did what you thought was right when it really WASN'T. Something you clearly need to learn Riley. Some things come out in their own time and should NEVER be forced. Telling MY feelings was NOT your place! It was mine! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!?"

But before Riley could even say a single thing in defense of herself and try to fight back her own tears over the harsh words being directed at her. Maya was past her and in the doorway without a single look back with the clear intention of going home. As Riley broke into tears over how horrible things had gone, she found herself being hugged by Zay in comfort. Charlie was nearby as well and watching the girl he liked in tears with a sad look on his face. "Its gonna be okay Sugar." Soothed Zay as Cory and Topanga soon came out to the rooftop to witness their daughter in tears.

Neither of them were sure what was going to happen next but they could only hope it wouldn't end with her daughter and the group of friends she had being split apart forever.

**Fourty Minutes Later…**

The train ride home for Maya had thankfully been uneventful as a few tears escaped along the way, and once she got home she was further thankful Gammy Hurt was asleep and that her mom was still clearly out with Shawn as she did not want to deal with any of them at the moment. Once inside her room, she quickly changed into something she didn't mind getting ruined by paint and set up her work station to start painting. And as she did so with a few strokes of the brush, Maya looked on brokenly as the tears came down. And it wasn't before long that she was flinging paint wildly at the canvas in tears from the pain brought on by the heart break Lucas had caused her.

She soon collapsed to the floor afterwards and held herself as she cried. Ginger made his way to her and made a few noises to show his concern for his girl and she picked him and held him close to her as she continued to cry. "I… I don't think you'll be seeing Daddy anymore baby." She told him tearfully.

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**Author's Notes: Damn, I knew this was gonna be heart breaking but I didn't expect to feel as much as I am right now after having finished this. But is this really the end? You'll simply have to read on to find out.**


	26. Aftermaths, Smoothies, Dresses, and Catfights

**Disclaimer: As you may well know by now, I own nothing but what you see here. And many thanks to the guest reviewer for the 4th chapter. Though I think by the time I'm done with this story (which will be around 50 or so chapters from now), this will be a level beyond epic! And now, on with the show!**

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**January 20th, 2016**

So far, the new year had sucked hard for the likes of Riley Matthews, Maya Hart, Lucas Friar, Farkle Minkus, and Zay Babineaux to a certain extent. Maya was refusing to talk to Riley despite the brunette's attempts to speak with her to try and clear the air. As the daughter of Cory and Topanga had come to realize just how true Maya's words had been that night on the rooftop about how it hadn't been her place to say anything on Maya's feelings to Lucas. Farkle was none too happy with Lucas after the guy had given him a black eye when he struck out wildly when the genius had tried to get him to stop walking away outside of the apartment. He was also none too happy with the fact that neither Riley or Maya weren't speaking with one another and it was hurting themselves and the group badly. Maya also pretty much refused to even speak or look in Lucas' general direction and had switched seats with Sara so that she wouldn't be in front of him or near Riley and her attempts to get a talk going.

Lucas had been grounded for a week straight after his momma had learned of what went down at the party. Which hadn't really bothered him since he'd been feeling huge amounts of guilt and anger until the guilt managed to outweigh the anger. Guilt for how he had treated Maya, Riley, and Farkle that night and he just had no clue of what to do to try and fix it since neither of them were really wanting to talk that much with him or even look at him. The whole thing had made for a fairly horrible first month of the year and a huge part of him hoped that things would get better soon in some way. There was also the fact that down in the subway things weren't too good there either as it seemed those who knew Maya were giving him all kinds of crap for how he'd treated her on New Year's Eve.

As for how any of them knew about it? Evelyn Rand had noticed how down Maya looked a few days into the new year and talked with the girl. From there it spread to others who geniunely liked and respected Maya a great deal after seeing her around a lot down in the subways and even hanging out with her from time to time. Word had it that even Gretchen and Aria were planning something pretty spectacular to get payback on the ol' Cowboy for his actions. Lucas had at one point flat out told Maya that if her little subway friends didn't stop their actions on him that bodily harm would happen. His words had confused her until she talked to a few folks down there and learned what was going on. She had thanked them for it but told them it wasn't necessary to do on her behalf. Words they had argued against and straight up told her that until he apologized they wouldn't stop.

Bodily harm had yet to happen however thanks in part to Evelyn later on having a talk with those involved and that the cold shoulder was the best way to go instead. As for Zay? He tried to stay out of the whole thing as much as he could but was there for any of them if they needed the support. But he honestly hoped things would get better before too long because he knew if it didn't, the great group of friends would likely be forever shattered. And that was the last thing he wanted to see happen as he liked all of them a great deal. The fact Mr. Matthews had yet to use some history lesson to fix all this had shocked him. And when he asked about it, the man had admitted that he wasn't sure what he could use to do it. And that this was one thing they were going to have to fix without the lesson. Something Harper had unfortunately agreed with too. He'd also had a few strong words for Lucas about how one doesn't punch their own friends in the face no matter how angry they are.

He also had a fairly strong opinion about Missy Bradford too after the girl had decided to worm her way into Lucas' path and even somehow convince the guy to go out on a date with her. Zay had even called out his best friend on his stupidity but the guilt eating away at him had him doing some stupid things recently. Among those being in an arm wrestling contest with his former bully Joey the week before and now more recently this date. A date he told Maya all about and the girl wasn't exactly happy to hear it either. Little did he know what the girl would wind up doing that night, of course if he had he definitely would have gotten involved in that! And it was just as Lucas and Missy were coming out of a pizza joint when the big moment happened that would later cause a catfight to erupt between the two girls at school.

Lucas for his part had realized about ten minutes into their date that he had made a huge mistake in agreeing to the date as the girl was just way too self absorbed and in his opinion, needed a good peg or two knocked out of her to get out of that whole thing. And once they had eaten their fill, Lucas had hoped the night was going to end but it seemed Missy had other ideas much to his unhappiness. _I swear, next time I am listening to you Zay._

Missy it seemed wanted to go and see some live music at a place she liked to go to and had latched on to his arm with no intention of letting go. "Trust me, I think you'll _love_ it Lukie." Cooed the girl in a sweet tone that made him want to cringe.

"Don'tcha think we should walk this food off before doin' anything else?"

"Aww! That's so sweet of you to think about that!" And it was then that he internally groaned as he realized what he had just walked himself into.

For Missy, she felt this walk would make the two of them that much closer and the further he was away from those little kids he for some reason liked, the better it all was in her view. But fate on the other hand had other plans it seemed. Plans Lucas would actually like since it got him out of the date. And it all came into being when a big truck pulled right up in front of them a short distance away. And on top of it? Was Maya Penelope Hart with a huge grin on her face and what looked to be a hose in her hands as she stood up. It honestly reminded him and others in the area of the trucks both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle used back in the day respectively. "Oh great, unwanted company." Commented Missy sarcastically.

"Hello there folks! Heard you two was on a date tonight and thought to myself about how much fun it'd be if something hilarious happened." Well, fun as heck for her anyway.

A sneer was sent her way from Missy after that. "Sorry little girl, you aren't invited so why don't you go back home and play with your dollies?"

Maya smirked at her instead. "Nah, I think that's more your thing."

That retort didn't sit too well with the pink wearing girl and she turned to Lucas with a frown on her face. "Aren't you going to do something about this!? I am your girlfriend now after all!"

Lucas for his part was stunned by that. Girlfriend!? He'd sooner get chased by both Cain and Tombstone the Bulls before starting a relationship with her! "Uhh.. Missy… We're not, we're not… Isn't this supposed to be just a date only?"

She was about to fire back when Maya's voice interrupted her. "HIT IT JAKE" And with that, from out of her hose came a stream of pink, strawberry flavored smoothie goodness that blasted the two but good.

The force of it caused them to stumble down to the ground as the stream of smoothie goodness continued to rain down upon them. And one could easily hear Missy's screams through it all. Finally however, it thankfully ended seconds later and after Maya climbed down and hopped into the passenger door. She and the truck with the mysterious driver known as Jake were gone, leaving a very stunned crowd and a very angry Missy Bradford in its wake. Struggling to stand up as Lucas did the same though he was more amused as heck then anything else by what had happened. Missy took a look at herself and at her surroundings before letting out a loud scream of anger. "I WILL GET HER! OOH! I WILL GET HER IF ITS THE LAST THING I DO!" And with that, she stormed off as Lucas just watched on satisfied that the date was finally over.

Making his own way home, he didn't see the African American man dressed in all black with no sleeves on the shirt and the word 'DAMN' written in white on the front of it walk up to the smoothie-fied area. This man was WWE's own Ron Simmons. Taking a look around for himself and eyeing the two hosed down kids. He put his hands on his sides and said the one and only thing that could come to mind at a time like this. "DAMN!" Laughter could be heard after that as he walked off shaking his head over the whole thing.

**January 21st, Mr. Matthews' Classroom**

The bell had yet to ring and most of the students had yet to get into their seats because of it. Maya had her back turned towards the door while talking to Yindra and Wyatt and getting laughter out of them for what she had done the night before with the Smoothie Truck. Riley could be seen frowning over the whole thing since she felt it was not a very nice thing to do. But Farkle and Zay couldn't help but find the whole thing to be funy as heck. Just then, Lucas himself walked into the classroom. But something was very different about him. So different in fact that those in the classroom were looking at him in complete shock! Wondering what was going on, Maya turned to look at the source and was stunned to see none other then Lucas Friar himself in a wig, make up, boots, and a purple v-neck dress! She couldn't help but to double over laughing at the sight of it and it wasn't long before everybody aside from Riley joined in on the laughter. "Looking great man!" Called out Zay between laughs.

"You get asked out yet!?" Asked Yogi, making Lucas groan which made a few of the kids think he had been!

It was to this scene that Cory came in and once he got a good look at Lucas? Well, he couldn't help but to say the first thing that came to mind. "Now Mr. Friar, its usually in college when teenagers really start to experiment. But hey, to each their own."

Lucas looked at him in complete shock over that one! Mr. Matthews' words had made Maya and the others laugh even harder and this time Riley couldn't help but giggle a bit too over it. "This was NOT my idea Mr. Matthews! Those two girls Maya knows in the subway did this!"

"Which… Ha ha! Girls!?"

"Uhh.. Gretchen and Aria I think her name is?" Was the situation not so flippin' embarrassing, Lucas would have been stunned by the fact Maya had just talked to him!

"Ha ha! I am so gonna.. Ha ha! Have to thank them for this!" Got out the girl happily as this was perhaps even better then what she did with the Smoothie truck the previous night!

Once things calmed down and Lucas had thankfully been able to change out of his clothes because the girls had stuffed his clothing into his backpack with the stern warning he was only allowed to do so once Maya saw him, things were able to get back to normal. Well, as normal as can be anyway with a group of friends at odds and the very clear image of him in a dress anyway. A certain Blonde Beauty wondered though if Jerkleberry was intending to get back at her and was somewhat paranoid by the time lunch rolled around. But it wouldn't be him she'd have to worry about as it would turn out. No, it'd be Missy Bradford herself when the girl would come up to her and start yelling at her. "YOU! How dare you do that to ME! Do you not know who I am!?"

"Some pink wearing banshee?"

A glare was sent her way, not that she cared. "I am Missy Bradford and I am better then you can ever HOPE to be!"

"Aww, its nice that you have ambitions like that Pinkie."

Lucas tried to defuse the situation but Missy wasn't having any of it and pushed him away and into an open seat. "Now that wasn't very nice." Mocked Maya and Missy sneered at her.

"Nice? You wanna see nice you little pauper? How about this!?" The pink wearing girl grabbed a nearby sloppy joe and took the top bun off and smeared the goods onto one of the shirts Shawn had bought for Maya.

The blonde girl looked down in shock at the smeered food on her shirt and gave off a shudder of annoyance. This was one of her favorite shirts and no way in heck was she going to let this go! Grabbing another sloppy joe, she took the bun off and rubbed it right into Missy's face in quick fashion before the girl could do anything. The girl let out a scream of rage and attempted to tackle Maya but Lucas pulled her out of the way in time. "I really don't need your help." The girl told him and Lucas put his hands up defensively.

Missy charged at her again and the two met each other head on. Though Maya was trying her best to keep the girl at arm's length since she had no desire to really fight the girl and get in serious trouble for it. But the freakin' hair pulling was getting to be a bit much in her view even as she tried to push the girl away and was honestly surprised when Riley grabbed on to Missy to try and pull her away. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Even if we aren't talking, she's still my best friend and sister!" Shouted back Riley and Lucas got involved to help Riley pull Missy away.

It took a few more students and a teacher or two to get the two girls to pull apart and Lucas even had to catch Missy in midair as she tried to jump at Maya. The action sent him to the ground and a screaming girl right in his face for his troubles. Thankfully that didn't last long due in part to Darby and Yindra pulling her off while a line was made between her and Maya to keep the two apart. Mr. Matthews took Missy to the office to be dealt with and would come back for his surrogate daughter later when she wouldn't be in the office at the same time to avoid further conflict. "Next time Friar, choose your dates better." Maya told him annoyedly before walking away to try and clean off her shirt with Riley following along in the hopes she might get her to talk with her.

Missy would get suspended for several days while Maya would get a week of after school detentions due to her part with the slopppy joe in the face. The two would develop something of a strong dislike towards one another and Lucas made darn sure to keep his distance from Missy as he wanted nothing to do with her. Mr. Matthews admitted to Maya at one point that he was even proud of her for attempting to not fight back even if she had rubbed food in the girl's face and later told her that he hoped things would get better between her and the others fairly soon. And the Blonde Beauty could only admit it to herself but she kind of hoped for it too as it was sucky being without all of her friends. But the anger and hurt she felt was a huge factor in all of that for her however.

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**Author's Notes: That catfight probably sucked but I kinda doubt Maya would want to wind up in serious trouble for fighting though. Course I could always be wrong. Hopefully the amount of time since New Year's that has passed is also believable as well. Hoped though you guys enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to your thoughts! Up next: We see how Riley's view of things in how she's been coping. R and R!**


	27. Trip To Rileytown

**Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but what you see here. And oops, it wasn't until I got some comments from Lucaya on this recently that I realized I failed to update this with the last few chapters I had written out before I ended up losing my desire to write this. My bad folks!**

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**January 23rd, 2016 Saturday in the Matthews' Apartment 3:05 PM**

Life for Riley Matthews had honestly been a downpour of rain with no end in sight in her view. Out of her core group of friends, only Farkle and Zay were really even speaking with her after the horrible way things had ended on New Year's Eve at her party. And Riley was wishing with all heart that she could go back and somehow change things so that things wouldn't be as bad as they are now as she hated it a lot. Friends shouldn't be like this with one another but unfortunately they were and she had no idea how to handle it. Lucas yelling at her to move out of his way after that argument with Maya and then giving Farkle a black eye was something she wanted to have some words with him over but so far he refused to give her a chance to talk. His actions from that night just went against everything she thought she knew about him and it was as bad as the time when Zay first came to their school and rocked her view point on her first crush.

To be honest, after that all had settled down, she had felt a slight case of resentment towards Zay for rocking things but after being around him in the time afterwards, that resentment had gone away and she was happy for it as the guy was a genuinely great and funny guy. The fact he held and soothed her that night of the party was just another reason to see him as a great friend to have in one's life. Riley finally decided it was time to talk with her parents about all this to try and get some kind of perspective about the whole thing and what she could do next. She easily found her dad and Uncle Shawn in the living room watching a recording of the previous weekend's showing of El Locos Wrestling which could usually be seen aired on a local access channel. Something she wrinkled her nose at in distaste as wrestling was definitely not something she cared too much for. "Hey daddy, can we talk?"

Muting the tv instantly, Cory gave his attention to his daughter as he had a feeling he knew what this was going to be about. Shawn likewise was looking her way as well. "Sure sweetie, what's on your mind?"

"Its about New Year's and all that went down."

"You know, I've nearly gone after that kid several times with a shovel by now? But I always get talked out of it." Shawn said with a frown on his face.

Riley gave a frown of her own to her uncle. "Uncle Shawn! That's not how you should handle a situation!"

He just shrugged at her. "Hey, he made someone I care about cry and I don't like that one bit." He told her unapologetically.

"Well I don't like it either but I know that hurting him isn't the answer. Actually, that's the only answer I even have..."

"What do you mean by that honey?" Even though Cory felt he had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about.

"What I mean is, I want all of my friends to be talking with one another again! Yet, I have no idea how to even really do that when both Maya and Lucas won't even speak to one another or with me. Not to mention what happened between Farkle and Lucas." Said the girl as she quickly grew frustrated.

"Sometimes, things take time to get better and this is likely one of those times. If you try and force the issue, its likely to make things even worse."

"He's right, we got lucky back in college after our own little group argument." Added Shawn with a nod.

Riley being Riley, knew what her uncle was referring too since she'd been told the story. But she had doubts about her having a dream like uncle Eric did to help fix things. "So basically… I can either hope things get better in its own time or that somehow lightning will strike twice and it'll bring us all back together again."

The young girl wasn't a big fan of those two options but the last thing she wanted to do was make things even worse. "Pretty much, maybe if you were even to try and start out one piece at a time it could work in that way too before working towards the main overall thing. Say start with Maya, which you know, would be the proper thing to do as you two are the best of friends." Cory told her.

That only honestly sounded good to Riley but how she would do that was beyond her though. But it would be something to think about for sure. Shawn had a lightbulb go off his head at that moment and ran with it. "So I've got a question for you kiddo. What is it exactly you even like about this Lucas kid? Especially if he's such a big pivotal part of this whole problem in your group."

"I like that he's nice, friendly, and that we tend to agree on a lot of things. Oh! And that he wants to be a Veterinarian when he's older after giving birth to a baby horse."

The two best friends looked at one another with looks of concern on their faces. Something that Riley was a bit concerned about herself. "What? What's wrong?"

"Riley..." Began Cory hesitantly, unsure of what to say exactly.

Shawn however seemed to not have that issue. "So that's it? There's nothing else about him?"

"He's my first crush?"

Looks of concern were shared again and it made her even more worried after that. "It seems to me… That you don't even really know the guy. And probably why that short lived relationship of yours went like it did." Shawn said, glad he'd been told of that whole mess awhile back and Cory couldn't help but agree with that.

"But there was pressure involved in all that! And it just made things so awkward!"

"You two were already awkward to begin with after that first date you two had last year. So maybe… Maybe it wasn't so much everyone else pressuring you guys but you two having absolutely no idea how to handle everything." Which Cory felt was probably half his fault and half how things could get for teenagers when they start to get into that sort of thing.

Riley was beginning to get real worried that her father had a really good point about her and Lucas. She felt she really liked him and him being her first crush was a huge deal for her after all the stories she'd been told. But various events in her life that also involved Charlie Gardner, New Year's, and her now coming to realize she apparently didn't have anymore she could think to add about what she knew and liked about Lucas made her realize made her doubt everything in a big way. "I'm… I'm confused..." Admitted the girl.

Cory got up and gave her a hug. "It seems to me you really need to take awhile to really think about all this before you do anything else sweetie. You need to learn that not all first crushes are meant to last. And that having a limited view point of a person without really knowing more about them is not the best way to have any kind of relationship with anyone. "

"He's right, your mom and dad are a very rare occurrence to happen. Angela certainly wasn't my first crush."

Riley pulled away with shock written all over her face and Cory knew he'd just rocked his little girl's world. But it had to be done if she was ever going to get past her view point of Lucas. The view point of that of a Mr. Perfect and that was something Lucas Friar definitely was not. "I realize now that your mother and I unknowingly gave you certain expectations about life and I can only hope that mistake won't hurt things for you in the long term." But he had hope that with her being young and still growing and learning, that it wouldn't hurt anything in the end.

"I think… I think I need to go and think about all this..."

She walked away slowly in a daze as she tried to process everything that had just been said to her. _I… I don't even really know Lucas do I?_ That conversation in the library from a year ago felt like it barely mattered now in the long run.

Cory and Shawn looked at the girl in concern and both hoped things would get figured out for her. And that she and her friends would be able to re-unite sooner rather then later. "And to think, we thought we had it rough back in the day." Mused Cory thoughtfully.

A huff of laughter escaped Shawn after that. "Life, it's a tough one." Cory nodded at that and the two got back to watching the show. Though it was hard to enjoy all that much as the conversation with Riley weighed a great deal on their minds.

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**Author's Notes: Hope the way I handled that was done well. If not, at least I tried! R and R!**


	28. Date Night

**Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**February 5th, 2016 8:00 PM Hart Apartment**

There was a frenzy of activity in the Hart apartment as one Katy Hart was getting some last minute details finalized for her big date out with Shawn that night. Who was due any second now actually and Katy had to say it was nice that he was around more after finally deciding to settle down in the city. Something that had made a whole lot of people happy for that matter and she and her daughter were definitely two of those people. Of course his being around more meant seeing more of the epic 'bromance' he has with Cory. Which took a little getting used too but at least she had Topanga's support to rely on with that. "Geez mom, calm down would ya? Hunter probably wouldn't even care if you went out in a sack with him." Remarked Maya from the couch in sweat pants, a pair of socks, and a black sweater that had a subway in the middle and the words 'Dark Half' on top and 'Eat Flesh' on the bottom.

A sweater she never wore around Riley as she no doubt knew the girl would freak the heck out over it. Heck, she was halfway tempted to wear it to school just to see what reactions she would get but so far hadn't done it as she always forgot about it a majority of the time. Katy paused in her frantic pace to give her daughter that patented mom look before speaking. "I can't do that baby girl! He's taking us out somewhere really nice and I want to look as good as I can!"

Oh why couldn't that man just tell her where they were going!? Sure it was their sixth date and all but still more details then 'somewhere nice' would have been ideal! As it is, most of their dates so far had either been dinners or going to things she enjoyed and it had been really nice. No question about that but a part of her wanted to try doing things he enjoyed and had even mentioned it to him at one point. But so far nothing had come of that just yet but a girl like herself could wait for the time to happen. Maya rolled her eyes at her mom's response as she finally finished getting ready. And in the young girl's view, her mom was gonna knock the socks off of Hunter with how good she was looking. Granted, it was very likely it happened several times already but it never hurt to happen again.

A knock was then heard at the door and Maya quickly got up to open it. Revealing one Shawn Hunter who was dressed in all black and red and looking quite dashing in Katy's eyes once she saw him. Maya let out a whistle of her own. "Not bad Hunter, not bad at all."

"Well thank you kiddo, I certainly like to try." He told her with a smile as he came inside.

He then gave an apologetic smile to Katy once the door was closed. "Sorry for running a little late, I didn't think to take the elevator and Cory happened."

The girls nodded and no further explanation was needed when it came to Cory Matthews. Days after his moving into that apartment, Maya's teacher was still so crazily over the moon about him living close by now much to Topanga's exasperation. Katy walked over to her man and kissed him, something he was happy to return in favor. The sight was something that made Maya smile at and seconds later they broke away with dopey smiles on their faces. It honestly made the Blonde Beauty wonder if she was ever going to experience something like that and the thought of Lucas briefly came to mind, along with the pang of hurt over what had happened between the two of them. "Now Hunter, don't keep my mom out too late alright?" Mock warned the young teen.

Shawn saluted her with a smile. "Aye aye Captain, not a minute past 12:00!"

He got a satisfied nod in return afterwards and Katy couldn't help but roll her eyes in amusement at the two. A little more small talk filled with teasing occurred before the couple left, leaving Maya alone in the front room as Gammy Hart was in her room doing whatever she normally did. A part of Maya felt a pang in her heart as she wished she could have had Riley here to share this moment with. She was really starting to miss her best friend if she was being honest with herself. A part of her also couldn't deny missing a certain Huckleberry either…

**Around an Hour and a Half Later at the Bowery Poetry Club**

Katy could honestly admit she was greatly surprised that Shawn had brought her to a poetry place of all places. But then she remembered his gift to Amy and Alan Matthews and a talk with him they'd had later that night. She was glad they were going to something he liked and had learned that one of his work colleagues had told him about this place and decided to make their current date not only her's, but his first visit there. And so far it was a great experience in getting to hear all the poetry there. It was agreed they would come back here on the next Open Mic night as she wanted to hear him recite some of his poetry. Little did she know she'd get to hear some after they left the Club as it left him in a bit of a poetic mood.

And honestly? The guy was making her blush like crazy with some of his poems! But she loved every bit of it and she felt like she was falling even more for the man who cared so much for her and her daughter. "The sparkling of your eyes, almost like that of a jewel in the right light, makes the very breath in my chest take pause at its beauty." He told her as he looked into her eyes as they held hands by his vehicle.

She leaned in and happily kissed him. "Sweet talker." She muttered seconds later against his lips as their foreheads rested against one another's.

He smiled against her lips, happy to have met this amazing woman thanks to certain schemers he knew. But he'd never trade it for anything in the world that was for sure. "What can I say? You and damn good poetry make me inspired."

They shared another sweet and tender kiss as he moved his hands to hold her at her sides and she moved hers to wrap around his neck. "I love you Katy Hart."

His soft spoken words surprised her greatly but the waitress/actress couldn't help but feel elated to hear it and she showed just how happy she was when she kissed him soundly. "I love you too Shawn Hunter." She told him just as softly.

Soon afterwards, they reluctantly parted and he opened the car door for her to get inside and he soon got into the driver seat afterwards. Their next destination was to Met's Roof Garden Cafe and Martini Bar before they eventually found themselves in his apartment. Thankfully this time they had taken the elevator to his floor. And what happened next was nobody else's business but their own. An action that was long in the making as they'd yet to take that step until now due to his previous lifestyle. Katy would return home around noon the next day with a very pleased smile on her face and would endure some playful teasing from Maya afterwards but she didn't mind it one bit. As last night had been absolutely wonderful and she couldn't wait for what came next for her and Shawn.

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**Author's Notes: May there have been much enjoyment of this one! Up next: A little resolution is at hand, but it doesn't come easy.**


	29. A Little Resolution Is At Hand

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**February 10th, 2016 Wednesday 4:00 PM in the Art Classroom**

Maya surprisingly enough was still at the John Adams Middle School, working on a little art project of her's for one of the group functions the city had for art that Mrs. Kossal had awesomely gotten her involved with. This also helped to keep her mind off of things involving her group of friends. So engrossed was she in her work that she failed to notice Riley and Farkle come into the room and lock the classroom door. The two had decided that now was a good time to try and talk to their friend in the hopes it would help restore a little of the normalcy in their group of friends. And even though it'd been a few days since her mom's date with Shawn, her mom was still in high spirits. Though Maya had the feeling that was more to do with the fact Hunter was able to be around more often now a days. "Maya?" Came the hesitant voice of Riley, making Maya freeze in her motions.

"What?" She asked with a sigh as she turned to look at the brunette and realized she had Farkle with her as well.

"Can we talk? Please?"

"About what exactly?"

 _Ohh she's not gonna make this easy._ Thought Farkle to himself.

Riley came a little closer to Maya before speaking up again. "About everything going on lately. Us not talking since New Year's… I don't like it and I want things to be okay with all of us again like it used to be…"

She had learned her lesson about listening to the wishes of others and she'd do whatever she had to in order to prove it. Riley could only hope her best friend and sister in all but blood would let her do it. "Hate to break it to ya, but there's always something that's going on that someone out in the world doesn't like. Something they probably can't do much about." Maya told her with a shrug of the shoulders over this little fact of life.

"And things can never go back to how they were before either after what's happened."

Riley didn't believe that and told Maya as much. "Don't be naive! To try and go back to what we had before would be to ignore what's happened. And it wouldn't teach us anything at all!"

Well… Riley and Farkle had to admit Maya had a point there. "You're right Maya, our recent experiences would only be devalued if we tried to ignore it."

"I have my moments Dr. Farklestien."

"I never thought otherwise!" Protested the genius as he walked up to her.

She gave him a look for that one which left him slightly confused. "Oh? And your apparent belief that I don't really know how I feel doesn't say the opposite?"

He blanched at that while Riley was looking very uncomfortable with the direction things were going in. The Blonde Artist smirked at the young genius. "Yeah, next time you two wanna talk about someone, make sure the door is actually… You know… Closed."

"I'm… I'm sorry."

Maya scoffed at him over that one. "Sorry for being caught?"

"No! For making assumptions about you without actually consulting you like I should have."

Honesty and remorse could be heard in his voice, causing Maya to actually have reason to believe him. "Yeah, keep that in mind for the future Farkle." She gave a pointed look at Riley to convey a similar message and the girl quickly understood.

"I promise you Maya, that I will do my best to respect what you want in the future. Just please, please give us another chance. I understand what you were telling me that night so much better now." Never again would she speak on certain matters unless given the okay to do so. Gaining their disappointment with her over otherwise was not something Riley really ever wanted to do again in her lifetime.

Though she had a feeling something like it was bound to happen in some way regardless of her intentions. Maya regarded her for a moment before speaking. "I will accept your promise and even forgive you, if you also swear to NEVER use my home life as examples for arguments or jokes ever again. That crap hurts and I seriously do NOT deserve that."

Riley winced as she hadn't ever realized that and felt horrible. She quickly assured her best friend she wouldn't do that again while hoping she would be able to live up to that. Farkle was also quick to make the same promise as well even though he'd never been one to make light of her situation. Silence reined in the classroom between the three teens with two of them hoping they could move forward while having their friendship restored. Maya honestly was tired of being apart from them and she knew that eventually a talk with Lucas was going to have to happen if they were going to really restore the group, but she didn't think she could handle that just yet as there was still so much pain from his actions that night. She could only hope that Riley and even Farkle could hold to their word or she would never be able to trust them again in any way.

"We can't go back, but we can move forward." Was all she finally said and it was more then enough for Riley and Farkle to realize that she was giving them another chance.

The two rushed her and pulled her into a group hug, relieved they were getting another chance with their blonde best friend and talented artist. They weren't sure what would happen next as Farkle still had his own issues with Lucas much like Maya did, along with Riley as well. But hopefully… Hopefully things would be really okay again.

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**Author's Notes: Hopefully this is seen as believable and if not, I apologize. My inspiration for GMW has been lacking lately and I still feel that Bay Window could have been A LOT better then what we got. I still haven't even seen the season finale yet for various reasons. Up Next: The Trio is back, Lucas quickly takes notice and feels even more horrible then before, and Zay finds himself curious over what Corn Chip Dave is up too. R and R!**


	30. A Corn Chip Mystery

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**February 21st, 2016 Monday**

After the reconcillation between Riley, Farkle, and Maya, life had seemingly gotten more of a positive vibe flowing about at John Quincy Adams Middle School since their reunion. One that had made a lot of people happy as a good trio of friends like that definitely belonged together rather than apart. Though one particular person was a little bummed over the whole thing since he had yet to reconcile with any of them just yet. Though he had certainly tried but it never seemed to work out like he wanted. That person being Lucas Friar who was currently leaning up against some lockers as he watched the three doing whatever with wide smiling faces a depressed look on his face. A slap on his shoulder drew him out of his trio watching and he turned to see Zay shaking his head at him. "Man, you really gotta quit lookin' at them like you're a lost puppy."

"I'm not!" Protested Lucas even though Zay was pretty much on the money about it.

Zay gave him a look like he didn't believe him and the blonde Texan repeated himself again that he wasn't. "Dude, you are lookin' at them like a lost puppy. Just go over there and get them to talk to you."

"Easy for you to say Zay, you're not the one havin' problems with them."

"That's cause I know not to treat my friends like crap."

Lucas looked down in shame over that and Zay quickly muttered out an apology for making him feel bad. "No, you're right. I did treat them like crap and now I gotta pay the price for it." If only he could go back in time and stop himself from being such an idiot!

The young Texan then walked off for his next class, no longer wanting to see the happy trio and Zay was about to follow him when Dave came by carrying tubes and rolled up wiring. Leaving for a very confused Zay as he wondered what the heck the guy was doing! And it seemed no one else was paying much attention for that matter either! He was about to follow when the bell rang, making him snap his fingers in annoyance. "Ah, I'll just ask him later."

Later as it turned out wouldn't be until later that week during Friday. And young Zay had certainly seen a whole lot of weird when it came to Dave. The fact no one seemed to be really even paying attention annoyed him a great deal! He'd even asked his friends about it but none of them seemed to think much of it. Lucas even thought his buddy was just seeing things brought on by the stress of not seeing Vanessa much thanks to the distance between them. Earning himself an eyeroll from his fellow Texan in the process. But on Friday, Zay decided to stay after school since he had it on good authority that Dave was staying after for some unknown reason through out the week and the teenager figured it would be his chance to see what the heck was going on! Hiding within a trash can, Zay watched as Dave made his way down the hallway with more wiring and several long white boxes.

"Alright Lord of the Corn Chips, what are you up too?"

Watching as his fellow classmate stopped at a door and setting down the wiring to knock on it, Dave quickly made his way inside after it opened. Making Zay frown as he quickly got out of the trash can. Completely oblivious to the fact he had a banana peeling on his shoulder. Coming to it, he saw that the door Dave had gone in was the Janitor's closet. Looking down both sides of the hallway to ensure no one else was coming, he grabbed hold of the door knob and rushed inside. "AH HA!"

His sudden appearance and voice made Dave and Janitor Harley jump, along with dropping what they were doing. "Holy crap! Kid, I think you just scared off ten years of my life." Groused Harley with a hand on his chest as he calmed down.

"Zay? What are you doing man?"

A smirk came on Zay's face as he sauntered up to the two with his hands clasped together in front of him. "What am I doin'? What am I doin' you ask? I think the question is… What are YOU two doin'? Which, you know, is a more pressing question here then my bein' here."

The two looked at one another, unsure of what to do. "Uhh… Well we were putting some things in storage for a later time." Dave finally answered.

"Yep, Chippie here's been helpin' me out the past week. And let tell you somethin', he's been a real big help for me." He would have gotten Lucas to help out but the kid had been way too depressed over the situation with his friends to do much.

He'd been surprised when Dave approached him about helping out and seeing what had been presented to him through a miracle, quickly enlisted the boy to the Janitorial Cause. A cause so vital in the day to day operations of the very school they were still inside of. "Uh-huh. So basically, if what you are sayin' is right… I've been kind of… You know, paranoid for nothin' then?"

A nod from Harley happened after that. "Pretty much kid."

"Well I guess this explains why nobody thought it was weird!"

"Lucas and sometimes Farkle usually are the ones who help out Janitor Harley since last year. Soooo yeah… Nobody but you thought it was weird."

Zay looked thoughtful for a moment as he digested all that. "Huh… Well alrighty then." And with that, he was gone as he mentally smacked himself for thinking something that obviously wasn't the case at all.

Harley and Dave just watched him before looking at one another. "Kid's been hangin' around Matthews and her bunch way too long." The older man finally said with a shrug of the shoulders, making Dave laugh. The two then got back to work on organizing the storage areas.

**Matthews' Apartment Around Two Hours Later**

After getting home from school, Riley had gone to her room to quickly start on homework so that she'd have it out of the way with little worries for the rest of the night where it was concerned. Though part of the reason she quickly started it was so that she could keep her mind off the fact that things still weren't fully okay between her group of friends. Yeah, things were great now between her, Maya, Farkle, and Zay thankfully. But the lack of Lucas in it all just really sucked. She could tell he wanted to talk with them but life it seemed just wasn't allowing it. Something she really wasn't liking at all and all her mom and dad would say is that sometimes one had to wait for the right moment to happen as some things just couldn't be rushed. But for Riley Matthews, this was definitely something she wished could be rushed as she wanted all her friends back together again. Why she herself had yet to approach him about the whole thing she wasn't sure of and Auggie had chalked it up to her being afraid over it.

Why she was afraid she wasn't sure of entirely but she felt like she was lying to herself over that anytime she thought about it. Once she'd gotten her homework done and grabbed a snack, the young Matthews girl laid on her bed and listened to music while she browsed the internet on her phone. And still feeling very glad that her bully was still no longer bothering her as that had been a really horrible time for her. Thankfully she had her friends to support her once the truth about it all had come out. But she couldn't help but wonder if the bully would try again once she got her courage back. Riley hated to think about that but it sometimes came up in her thoughts until she forced it down. Her mom coming inside made her pause her music to see what was up.

"Riley, sweetheart, there's someone here to see you."

That made her curious since Farkle and Maya would just show up through her window. But Farkle was off with Smackle and Maya was at a thing for art. "Oh? Who?"

"Me." Came the voice of one Lucas Austin Friar as he stepped up next to her mom. Riley's eyes went wide as she definitely wasn't expecting him of all people!

Topanga just smiled and left as she had a feeling, a hopeful one that things would get patched up between her daughter and Lucas. "Wow, um… What brings you by Lucas?"

Walking up to her bed with a hopeful look on his face as he looked around at the room he hadn't been inside of for quite some time. Turning his attention back to her with that hopeful look still on his face, he spoke up. "I was hopin' that you and I could finally talk."

Oh, well color her surprised!

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**Author's Notes: May there have been much enjoyment of this one!**


	31. When Dreamers Re-Unite

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here.**

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Oh yes, Riley Matthews was definitely surprised by the fact Lucas had shown up and wanted to speak with her. Which in her opinion was about gosh darned time! Though she was curious on why he hadn't gone to Farkle or Maya first and even asked him about it. "Cause, I felt it was best to approach you first. Figured if things went well here, it'd mean things could hopefully go well with those two." At least that's his thinking anyway.

Riley had to hand it to him as that was some nice thinking. "Well, its something to try!" Offered the girl, earning herself a small smile from the boy.

"So that mean you'll give me a chance then?"

She gave a nod as it was the least she could do as hopefully this would lead to the entire group being together again and he let out a sigh of relief. "Look… That night on the rooftop… The way I handled things wasn't right and I sorely wish I could go back and change what I did." Began the boy guiltily as he looked down and clenched his fists.

"But you can't, and now you can only move forward with the hope of things getting better again. Which I have hope that it will." She told him as she approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Making him look up at him in shock as he hadn't expected that at all. "It wasn't right for me to yell at ya just as it wasn't right for me to treat Maya like I did. Or for me to give Farkle that black eye."

Letting out a sigh, he continued on. "I was just so darned angry and hurt by that kiss ya know? I thought somethin' was happenin' between us. That it meant that maybe she was movin' on from your uncle. Now I ain't got a clue about nothin'."

Riley's heart broke for her friend even as she wondered why she wasn't feeling more hurt by the fact he felt something was forming between him and her best friend and sister in all but blood. Which, if life could go her way, would be an actual thing! "I came here though to hopefully get forgiveness from ya, but I understand if you ain't willin' cause of my yellin' at ya."

He looked down again, afraid of what her response would be and would find himself surprised yet again when she hugged him. If it wasn't for the shock he felt, he may have hugged her back but a part of him sagged in relief when he realized that the hug meant she did in fact forgive him. She puled away and saw the look on his face and smiled at him. "Does this mean what I think it does?"

Riley cocked her head to the side with that smile still on her lips. "Duh!" Replied the girl happily and making him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God!" Voiced the young man in a relieved tone of voice.

Knowing Riley had forgiven him felt like a weight had been lifted up a bit from him and it felt pretty nice. Though he knew that in order for it to fully lift, he would need to gain Farkle and Maya's forgiveness as well. Lucas had honestly thought it'd be harder to get Riley's forgiveness but was glad it wasn't, though it did give him the feeling that Maya most likely would be the hardest one of them all. The former Texan was greatly surprised next when Riley grabbed him by the face and kissed him. Making for his eyes to go wide in the process as he hoped like crazy that her father didn't come in here while this was going on! As he definitely didn't want to lose yet another boot to him! The kiss didn't last long though and Riley pulled away with a slight frown on her face. "Huh..."

"Umm… That a good huh or a bad huh? Also… Why'd ya do that!?" Asked the freaked teenager.

"Well its a good huh in the sense that the kiss was nice, but a bad huh cause I didn't really feel anything like I thought I would."

Lucas was surprised by that if also a little relieved considering his feelings for Maya. "Well, then again it could be a good huh instead of a bad one."

She then gave him a mischevious smile after that. "As for why I kissed you? Well… Every other girl has kissed you recently so I thought why not add to it!"

He gave off a nervous chuckle over that as he was really and seriously hoping her dad wasn't in hearing distance of all this! "Technically, its only been two girls. Not uhh, ya know, a lot of girls. Cause that would make me a player or somethin' and I'm not like that. I mean, I probably could be but I don't want too! I swear!"

Riley just gave him a look. "Right, shutting up."

"Good boy!" He stuck his tongue out at her, making her giggle over it.

Stepping up to her with a concerned look on his face, he asked her the question on his mind. "This whole not feelin' things where I'm concerned, that's not gonna cause issues to spring up again is it?"

A shake of the head was his answer. "Of course not young Lucas! All is good in the land of Rileyville! Now… Once you're done here you must venture forth to ye old Farkle and make with the forgiveness!"

The boy she once crushed on gave her a bewildered look over that. "Um… You're not wantin' to hang out or somethin' for a bit first? Cause I kinda thought ya might want too if things went pretty well and all." Okay, so yeah, maybe he was stalling a little since he was nervous about talking to Farkle.

"And we will! But only after you've managed to make up with Farkle and Maya." Crap! Seems Riley knew it too!

"Ya do realize that Maya's gonna be harder to talk with then attemptin' to tame ol' Cain right?"

"All things worth anything are always hard, its just a matter of how much you're willing to fight for it."

Well, he had to admit she has a point there! The two shared another hug before Lucas walked out, happy for things to have gone so well between him and Riley. As for Riley, she herself sat down at the edge of her bed. Slightly confused but also happy to know where her feelings were now when it came to one Lucas Friar. Reaching for her cell phone, she hit the call button after finding one particular number and after a few rings, she spoke up once the other end answered. "Hey! Can we talk?"

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**Author's Notes: The kiss is something I consider as one of the big moments for this story. Although I had imagined it going slightly different when the two finally talked about the whole forgiveness thing. But I think this works. And just who is it she called at the end there? Have to wait and see!**


	32. The Texan And The Scientist

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here! Now… Let's roll on!**

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Lucas Friar hurried as quickly as he could to the apartment complex Farkle's family owned after leaving Riley's. Hoping like crazy this would turn out as well as it had between him and Riley. He was still surprised by how well it had even gone, not to mention the kiss! Though he was glad that kiss showed Riley that there wasn't really anything more between the two of them as the last thing he needed was more issues between himself and the girls. Once thankfully making it to the apartment complex, he rode the elevator that he was glad was working as it would have been a pain in the butt to have to use the stairs! The young man fidgeted as he leaned up against the back wall of the elevator while it played crap music and when the doors opened with a ding, he made his way out feeling more and more nervous with each step. Even sweating as he reached the front door of the Minkus family. Gulping, he rang the doorbell once and waited for it to open.

And it wasn't long before Stuart Minkus himself dressed in casual clothing appeared at the door. "Ah, Mr. Friar, a surprise to see you here at my home. I hope you're not here to give my son another black eye? Cause I can assure you that if that's the case, you can turn around right now."

His tone was in no way friendly and Lucas wasn't all that surprised by it considering his actions that night of the party. "Uhh, no sir! I'm not, I'm not here for that at all. I promise."

"Oh, then why are you here?"

"To apologize sir."

Stuart looked greatly surprised by that. "Oh, well that is certainly not what I expected to be honest." Admitted the man and Lucas couldn't help but wonder about that.

"Sir, I realize you probably don't believe me, but all I'm askin' for is the chance to do this. Its long over due and I've greatly come to regret doin' what I did that night of the party."

The sincerity in his voice spoke to Stuart and the man nodded a few seconds later. "Very well Mr. Friar, I will allow you entrance to my home. I must admit that despite my surprise to this whole thing, I'm greatly pleased that you are making this attempt as you are perhaps one of the few true friends my son has and I know it hasn't exactly been easy for him in recent times since that party."

Lucas looked down in shame as he came in, only to have a hand squeeze his shoulder in comfort by Farkle's father. "Hey, I didn't say any of that to make you feel bad Mr. Friar. My apologies for unintentionally doing so." He gave a nod of understanding to that and felt a little better.

Stuart then informed him that Farkle is in his room and the young man started to make his way there until he was stopped by Mrs. Farkle. Making him take a step back at the sight of her. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up." Spoke the woman as she looked at him as if she were judging him.

If Stuart was protective of his son, his wife was even more so! "Um… Yes ma'am." Replied the young Texan nervously.

"Jennifer." Called out Stuart warningly and causing her to pout at him. "For the record young man, should something like this ever happen again. There won't be any place for you to hide. Get me?"

A frantic fast paced nod came from him and she nodded in satisfaction as he inched away from her and towards Farkle's bedroom door. "I got… I got ya ma'am. I can see why Mr. Matthews was so afraid of ya back in the day." And then he hauled butt into Farkle's room, leaving a smirking Jennifer Minkus behind as Stuart came up next to her.

"Nice work wife of mine." Complimented the man with a smile.

She looked at him before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Why thank you husband of mine. Its good to know I still got it." Replied Jennifer cheerfully before kissing her husband.

Inside Farkle's room however was an entirely different story however as the young Friar felt like he'd just been a deer caught in someone's headlights. The fact Farkle and Smackle were looking at him wasn't helping matters any! The genius girl then strolled up to him with her arms crossed. "Why hello there Lucas. What ever brings you by here? I trust its not to try and steal me away from Farkle as I have no interest in you like that."

Farkle hid a grin at that while Lucas just gaped at her in shock. "I'm… I'm not tryin' to steal ya from anybody Smackle!"

She cocked her head to the side, making him get the feeling she didn't exactly buy that. "If that is true, then why are you here?"

"Well, mostly cause I need ta speak with Farkle about somethin' important."

"And that would be?"

"Actions related to that night at the party ma'am. I'm here in the hopes Farkle will be willin' ta accept an apology from me."

"Hmm, I must admit to rather liking being called 'ma'am'. Plus I feel that you have certainly taken your time in bringing forth an apology to my Farkle. Your actions that night and the delay in apologies has made you considerably less desirable in my eyes. And in the eyes of other girls as well."

Lucas wasn't about to ask how she even figured that as that was a road he wasn't willing to travel down just yet. "Well… Happy to please Smackle, happy to please. But umm, could ya give me and Farkle the room please?"

She was a bit unsure of that but a nod from Farkle was all she needed. "Sure, just don't ruin it alright?" He gave a nod to that and she left for the front room after he moved out of her way.

Once the two were alone, an uncomfortable silence reigned between the two as Farkle busied himself with various things in his room. "Soo..." Began Lucas and winced at the lame opening.

But Farkle ignored him in favor of his tinkering about with things. Lucas sighed as he left the door and came up to him. "Farkle." Called out the young man.

The genius paused in his work and even turned his head towards him before focusing again on his task. Making for the Texan native to frown a little. "Come on buddy, ya can't keep ignorin' me like this." Came his plea.

And if by magic, that made the boy genius turn around with an angry glare on his face. "Oh, but I can Friar! But I can! And calling me buddy? Really!? BUDDIES don't give one another black eyes!"

"I know that man! And I wish I had never done it!"

A scoff could be heard from the boy after that. "Wishing never got anyone anywhere as has been proven many, many times." Farkle sounded oddly bitter as he said that and it made Lucas wonder about that.

"True, but if I could go back and change what I did, I would in a heartbeat man. Ya hafta believe that." Tried the Texan earnestly.

"I know ya may not believe it, but I'm mighty sorry for punchin' ya. I'm sorry for a lot of things for that matter but punchin' ya is at the top of the list..."

Farkle wanted to just ignore the honesty and sincerity in the other boy's voice but he just couldn't. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to hate himself for that. "Punch me."

Those words made the boy genius look at Lucas in confusion. "Huh?"

"Ya heard me, I said punch me. If it helps ya forgive me then do it. Punch me!"

The look Farkle gave him gave the impression he thought him insane! "Uhh.. I'm not, I'm not doing that you freak of nature!"

Lucas merely gave him a mocking grin in return. "Oh come on Farkle, ya know ya want too! I bet ya thought about it a lot too. So come on, hit me."

Farkle just shook his head at him and had to back up as the Texan walked up to him with that infuriating grin on his face still present. "HIT ME!" Roared the boy and Farkle, tired of the whole thing did exactly that.

And right into the boy's stomach! "YEOW!" Yelled out Farkle as he bounced away in pain as he clutched his hand!

A look of amusement could be seen on Lucas' face as he watched his friend move around frantically as his parents and Smackle barreled into the room. "What the heck are you made of you freak!?"

Jennifer quickly dashed over to her boy who yelped in pain when she grabbed his throbbing hand. Stuart on the other hand was glaring hotly at Lucas. "Lucas!" Came the warning that heavily implied he needed to start talking then and there.

"I told him ta punch me and he did! That's all that happened, I swear!"

The man gave him a look, unsure of whether or not to believe that. Farkle however quickly informed him and his mother that that is exactly what happened. "I think you need to donate your body to Science as you are SERIOUSLY not normal!"

"I could have told you this myself Farkle, as Lucas has proven to be quite easy to the eyes for a number of girls including myself. Thus the current situation with Riley and Maya."

"Actually, things are good between Riley and me. I was there before I came over here. And there is no way I'm donatin' my body for anything!" No telling what those people would do!

Farkle pointed a finger at him. "Oh you will Friar! You will! I'll ensure it!"

The young man took a step back in slight fear as the genius probably would do it too in the future! "Exactly why did you want Farkle to punch you Lucas?" Asked a very curious Jennifer.

"Uhh… Well, I hit him, so him hittin' me only seemed fair."

Farkle's mother got a look of understanding on her face. "Well, not exactly how I would have handled it but hey, if it works? It works."

Lucas wisely kept his mouth shut about handcuffs as that story was pretty much known by now at this point. "Does this put things at a better position between you and Mr. Friar Farkle?" Stuart asked curiously.

The young man looked at the boy he considered to be a freak of nature as he gently rubbed his hand. "Hey, if needed, ya can hit me in the jaw if it'll help any." Offered up the Texan and surprising everyone.

"Yeah… I think I'll pass thank you." As no way did he want to hurt himself again!

Farkle then walked up to him with a determined expression on his face. "I forgive you Lucas, but know this… I will bury you in ways you can not comprehend if you ever do something like that again. Get me!?"

A frantic nod came from the Texan, making the genius happy. "Yes sir, loud and clear. Hittin' you is one of the worst things I've ever done." What he did to Maya however, was easily the top worst thing he ever did and hoped he'd be able to fix that mistake.

He then put his hand out for Farkle to shake on the whole thing, but then he was surprised when the other boy hugged him instead! When he pulled away, Lucas had to ask the immediate question on his mind. "Ya ain't gonna kiss me are ya?"

"What!? No! I am very much into girls thank you very much!"

The boy sagged in relief over that. "Oh thank God, that probably woulda made things real awkward." Replied Lucas.

Smackle then separated the two with a bit more distance with an intent expression on her face. Or at least in her mind anyway. "The only person who gets to touch the lips of Farkle Minkus is me. Not you or anyone else. Got it!?" Asked the girl and Lucas felt very afraid in that moment as he could see a fire in the girl's eyes behind those glasses of her's.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am! Absolutely no touchin' of the lips at all from me!" The girl genius gave a satisfied nod to that and then went to stand next to Farkle who put an arm around her, making for Smackle attempting to not freeze up or try and pull away due to her condition.

Lucas was just relieved though that things were better now between him and his genius best friend, even if it had happened in a rather unconventional way. He knew though the real true challenge would be Maya when the time came. Lucas would wind up spending several hours at the Minkus residence, making up for lost time with Farkle by chowing down on Pizza and playing video games like any other pair of boys their age normally would. Though he wasn't entirely sure any other pair of boys would be doing what he and Farkle were doing considering they just made up and all, but hey, that's just how life was when it came to him and his friends he figured.

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**Author's Notes: Annd boom! The real challenge begins for Lucas as he attempts to speak with Maya in order to gain her forgiveness! Who's certainly not gonna make it easy on him! All the while Riley's up to a little something of her own with that mystery person from the phone! May those of you who read have enjoyed this chapter a great deal! R and R!**


	33. Apologizing Is Hard To Do

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here.**

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**March 1st, 2016**

After things were patched up between Lucas and Farkle, the former Texan native tried his hardest to get Maya to speak with him but the task was proving to be far more difficult then he particularly liked. As the Blonde Beauty with a passion for art was proving to be more bullheaded then ol' Tombstone and Cain combined when it came to him! Any attempts from the others to get her to be willing to hear him out fell on deaf ears pretty much and he steered clear of the Hart residence mostly cause of the glares he kept getting from Gammy Hart and occasionally Shawn Hunter himself! Heck, she even had some of her new fangled art pals in one of those programs she'd joined up thanks to Miss Kossel block him from even trying to get through to her and it irritated him to no end. Especially when he happened to see one of them flirting with her! Sparking a flash of jealousy within him and he had to force himself to walk away before he did something he would regret. And now, here he was currently in the halls of John Quincy Adams Middle School trailing along behind her practically pleading with her to look his way and give him a chance long enough to apologize. "Come on Maya, I am tryin' to apologize but you just ain't makin' it easy on me!"

Suddenly, she stopped and he had to stop himself pretty quickly before he ran right into her from behind! Lucas had the hope that maybe, just maybe she was gonna let him have his moment finally but when she turned to him with an angry expression on her face, the young man backed up a few steps with a gulp. "And just WHY exactly should I make it easy on you? Hmm!?"

"Umm… Cause I've been tryin' my hardest to make up for all I've done? And I don't want things to be so bad between us anymore?"

Maya gave him a once over before saying anything. "Right, well you're just gonna have to come up with something real amazing to get me to bother giving you a chance. You hurt me Friar and I'm not one for easily giving second chances to those who hurt me. So if you really want to make it up to me, you'll pull something out of your cowboy hat to do it." And with that she stormed off, leaving a frustrated Lucas Friar behind.

"Geez man, she just stuffed you right back to the bench buddy!" Spoke up Billy as he and Brandon came up to the frustrated teenager.

"Yeah, that's gotta be tough. You sure she's worth all the trouble?"

Brandon's question got him a glare from the Texan and he took a step back with his hands up in the air defensively. "Whoa! Just a question man so relax!"

"I can't relax! I won't be able to do that until things are okay between her and me again!" Exclaimed Lucas with some heat to his tone.

"So whatcha gonna do then? Cause way I see it, you probably only got one inning left before you lose completely with her."

Brandon just rolled his eyes as his new found friend had taken lately to using sports language in his words recently. Why that is, he had no freakin' clue and it drove him absolutely nuts. The two looked at their fellow classmate as he sighed. "I'm… I'm not sure, but I'll figure out somethin'!"

Lucas then walked off to figure out something that would actually work with Maya while the two boys looked on before leaving as well. Both fully prepared to help out if Lucas actually approached them about it.

**March 3rd, 2016 at Bella's Arts**

Bella's Arts is a little known place in New York that Maya had been introduced to courtesy of Miss Kossal and had quickly fallen in love with the place. As the staff were pretty friendly and most of the artists and even poets there were as well. Making for a really positive environment that appealed greatly to her. She had even made a few friends with some of the regulars there and if she was right, a kid named Mike seemed interested in her. But stuff like that was the last thing on her mind at the moment considering how things are with Lucas. Maya knew she was probably being more difficult then necessary but she couldn't help it. He'd hurt her and now he wanted to make up for that hurt and she felt he had to do something that would make it worthwhile to forgive him. Currently, she, along with Mike, and several others were outside making use of spray cans for an art project that only required the use of spray cans.

Something that was proving to be quite the challenge for the young blonde artist, but Mike however was more than willing to help her out with it. And she could honestly say she didn't mind that somewhat as she did find him cute. Perhaps not as cute as Josh or Lucas but cute none the less. So engrossed in the work in front of her, Maya failed to hear the sounds of a horse's feet coming their way. Allowing for the rider to easily get the drop on her much to the confusion of everyone else present. "Yee-Haw! Time to grab up me a Shortstack of Pancakes!" Yelled out a voice that had her snapping out of her of focus pretty quickly!

And as she turned to the sound of one Lucas Friar, she faintly manage to register the rope that came flying around her! The fact that Lucas himself in a cowboy get up was quickly on her and tying her up good and proper before picking her up and putting her on the horse didn't even fully register until they were galloping away with the others looking on in shock! "LUCAS! UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL HURT YOU SO BADLY!" Screamed out the girl angrily.

Laughter could be heard from the other teenager as they ran down the sidewalk and narrowly missing several things. The horse they happened to be on was none other then the very horse that had been turned into a unicorn back when Riley was looking to be made Class Princess rather then Class President. Lucas was just glad the stable where they kept the horses for the carriages you could find in the park allowed him to use ol' Ulysses for this plan! Once they had gone a good amount of distance, Lucas stopped the horse at a little park with Ulysses giving off a loud whinnie as they stopped. The former Texan native then slid off the horse and used that strong as a horse strength of his to haul off Maya and place her on her feet. Who was giving him quite the heated glare! "Well, I have to say ma'am, you certainly look all tied up like." Remarked the boy with a grin as he tipped his hat at her.

A shudder escaped her as she continued to glare at him. "Let. Me. Go! If you do it right now, I promise I won't do anything back to you." Replied the girl through gritted teeth.

"So you'll give me a chance to properly apologize?"

A series of loud expletives escaped Maya after that, shocking one Lucas Friar greatly as his jaw hung low! "MAYA PENELOPE HART! YO MOMMA KNOW YEW KNOW DEM WORDS!?"

She gave him a little smirk. "That's for me to know and you to find out Bo Beep." God knows the area she lived in certainly had some colorful characters!

That answer was not something Lucas liked at all! "I'm of half a mind to leave ya tied up like this Shortstack."

"You do and they'll never find the body."

Lucas at that point had trouble doubting that as if she could get access to a truck capable of shooting out pink smoothies then she could probably do what she just threatened! "Right, somehow I don't think I want to see or even know how you would pull that off."

"See? You aren't too much of a country bumpkin after all." Snarked the girl and only smirking when he glowered at her.

He then untied her and for his troubles he got a barrage of her fists on him. "Ow! Would you- OW! Stop hitting me! OW!" Instead of saying anything, she hit him hard in the arm and walked off.

Forcing him to chase after her as he rubbed his arm gingerly as for a girl her size she sure packed a punch! "Hey! Come on Maya! Ya said I had to do somethin' amazin' like to get you to speak with ya and I did it!"

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, nearly forcing him to once again almost walk right into her. Maya then turned around with a glare at him that quickly went into a thoughtful look. "Yeah, I did say that didn't I?"

"Yes, ya did. And look, I've done it and if I hafta, I'll get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness. I am truly sorry for that night Maya I am and if I could I would go back and change all of that. I want you back in my life and I have no idea of what else I can do to prove it..."

Lucas was looking down at the ground by that point and completely missing the look on Maya's face. To say he was surprised would be an understatement when she hugged him next. "I… I forgive you Huckleberry… I may not be able to forget but I do forgive you and if you could never do something like that to me again I'll be happy." She told him softly.

"I can't promise that but I'll certainly do my best Ma'am." A chuckle escaped the girl as she looked up at him.

"I guess I can take that. For now."

That her a smile from the boy and it made her knees feel a little weak. Heck, she could practically feel the happyness radiating from him after she finally forgave him and it made her happy too. The fact that sort of weight no longer hung over them was a relief too. And before she knew what was happening or could stop it, their lips met one another's for several seconds until she pulled away and walked a short distance from him as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Aww crap, Maya I'm… I'm sorry!" God he hoped he didn't just screw things up!

She shook her head as she looked back at him. "No, don't be. Its... Its fine. Just caught me off guard is all."

"Oh."

"I know I said I forgave you and I did I really did, but that sort of thing? I'm not, I'm not willing to go there with you just yet. Maybe in the future but not right now. Not when things are still so fresh in my head."

This time it'd be her who was surprised when he hugged her. "Hey, hey its fine. I completely understand. The timin' ain't right and its my fault and I can live with that. Hopefully in the future the timin' will be a lot better." Maya couldn't help but feel relieved by that and actually felt a little hope for the future where they were concerned.

They then looked into one another's eyes. "Soo… We friends again?"

"Duh! You're not gettin' rid of me that easily Huckleberry." A chuckle escaped the young man.

"I wouldn't dare dream of it. Ma'am." He tipped his hat at her and she gave him a mock glare and a light punch to the shoulder.

"Now, would you please take me back to Bella's? You probably freaked everyone there out with that stunt!"

God help them if the cops got called! "Your wish is my command lil lady!" He escorted her back to Ulysses and helped her get on him.

As they rode back to Bella's, Maya couldn't help but comment on how this horse seemed familiar and would quickly get an answer as to why that was. Which made her smile over that moment of their shared past together. "I'll be sure to tell Riles you said 'hi' big guy!" Called out the girl and she got a soft snort from the mighty horse in return.

Thankfully the cops weren't called and after an explanation or two on what had exactly happened, things got back on track and Lucas took Ulysses on back home. Later on the rest of the group would learn of the happy news and Riley would be noticeably disappointed with the fact they weren't more then just friends but thankfully left it alone for the time being until she got Maya alone. But aside from that, she was just seriously happy the two had finally made up! The fact she got to 'hear' from her Noble Steed made things even better! And now that they were one united group again, she couldn't wait to take on the world once again with her friends all by her side.

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**Author's Notes: And that concludes the Forgiveness arc. Thank God! Up next: Graduation and a few other things! Originally I had something different in mind for how the forgiveness scene was going to be done between Maya and Lucas, but then I thought up this and decided it shouldn't be passed up on. R and R! As reviews help with the motivation to write this story!**


	34. Dates And Gingers!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. A small portion of this chapter is dedicated to a guest reviewer over on FF.Net who mentioned a reunion between Ginger and Lucas. And originally I was going to make this about the Middle School graduation, but I figured a several month leap to that would be a little crazy to do.**

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**March 12th, 2016 Saturday 1:25 PM**

Days had passed since the final apology had been given and accepted and the group was quite possibly better then ever at that point in time. Something everyone in the school was happy about and they could all see the group themselves were very happy about it as well. Riley in particular was still riding the joy over it all, though she strongly wished her best friend and Lucas were together instead of staying apart! Though another reason for her pro-longed happiness was due to a little something she had going on that no one really knew about. Well, aside from her mom anyway. Now you might be wondering what said secret is, and well, its that she's been seeing one Charlie Gardner for some time now after a little call she made to the young man after she and Lucas had forgiven one another. Riley honestly wasn't too sure of how things would go between herself and Charlie but the more time they spent together the more she grew to like him. The young teen found speaking with Charlie to be so much easier then it ever had been with Lucas. Though Riley had the sinking feeling her little secret was about to be found out by someone and she could only hope it wasn't her dad!

But she wasn't about to let that little worry get in the way of her and Charlie's date to a little musical festival happening out at Central Park. Some of the music was pretty great to hear while some of it wasn't. Which made for an interesting conversation between the two considering their musical tastes but she found that to be an okay thing rather than annoying. Something surprised her on but wouldn't fight it as she didn't want to ruin the fun. "I'm glad you dragged me out to this Charlie." Spoke up the girl as they walked hand in hand through the crowds.

Sure, at first she hadn't been too pleased about getting woken up so early that morning but now? Now she was happy about it but she wasn't about to let up on her firm reminder from earlier on about waking her up too early on a Saturday morning. Charlie looked at her with a small smile on his lips. "So am I forgiven then?"

"Hmm… The jury is still out on that." She told him teasiingly, making him laugh.

"In that case, I'm glad I braved the challenge of dragging you out to this."

"Just don't make it a habit."

"I make no promises."

He grinned when she gave him a mock glower as they walked up to a small crowd listening to a band that covered old Rock songs. For Charlie Gardner, the kid was still thanking his lucky stars Riley actually gave him a chance! Though a part of him wondered if she still truly felt something for Lucas Friar and he hated himself for thinking that as it only made him paranoid. But he wasn't about to say anything as she'd already had a say on the subject and he intended to stick with this bout of luck for as long as it lasted. "You got anything in mind you wanna eat?" Asked the kid after leaning in and speaking loudly.

A contemplative look appeared on Riley's face after that. "I think Hot Dogs sounds good."

The fact a Hog Dog stand was nearby was merely coincidence in her decision making if asked on it! Charlie hurriedly got them some Hot Dogs and the two chowed down happily on the food as they heard the music. Even dancing a little to some of it as well. Before long, the two finally left the park around four and headed back to the Matthews home and found themselves staring into one another's eyes for what felt like forever at the door to her home. Both never knowing that someone had spotted the two while on their date at the park and right when they were about to kiss, the front door opened up. "SWEET TACOS!" Yelled out one Cory Matthews, making the two startledly jump apart!

"Shawn wasn't seeing things after all!"

Riley looked at her dad with a nervous look on her face while Charlie prayed to whoever would listen that he would get out of this alive! "Dad! Um… What a uhh, what a nice surprise to see you here!"

Instead of responding, he turned sideways and pointed towards the inside of the room. Getting the hint, both teens reluctantly went inside. The sight of her mother gave the young Matthews girl some hope in all this!

**Meanwhile, over at Casa Hart**

While Riley and Charlie were more than likely about to receive quite the lecture from Cory over catching the two about to kiss, a vastly different moment was happening at the home of Maya Hart. One that was making for quite the amusing scene as Ginger the Ferret made excited noises as Lucas held and petted him. The former Texan would have been around sooner but Maya's after school activities had kept it from happening until now. It had only taken one look and his scent for the little Ferret to start trying to wiggle out of Maya's hands once she had brought him out of her room and into the front room for Lucas to see. The former Texan had immediately gotten down on his knees as Ginger rushed to him and the reunion between the two was something that would be forever etched into Maya's memory. Even getting her to paint the image later on and teasing her friend over tears she likes to think she saw in his eyes. "Ohh Lord knows I've missed you little fella."

Heck, Lucas had even thought about getting himself a Ferret of his own but the thought always felt wrong to him. Though he wondered what Maya would think of him having a female Ferret that could be friends with Ginger? Only downside would be the potential of the two having babies together and he knew they would have to stay with him rather then at Maya's as they probably would be a little expensive to help care for. And the last thing his Blonde Beauty needed was to deal with more expense issues. _Then again, with Shawn around that might not be such an issue._

Laughing as the little Ferret climbed onto his shoulder and nuzzled his face, Lucas looked to Maya with a happy look on his face. "Thanks Shortstack." He told her seriously.

Not needing an explanation behind that, she only nodded. "Pleasure's all mine Sundance, pleasure's all mine."

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**Author's Notes: Think that's a good place to end this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed!**


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